Louise Slaughter: “whatever happened to the Republicans who were fiscally responsible? I think they must have left town after President…”

“whatever happened to the Republicans who were fiscally responsible? I think they must have left town after President Bush came to Washington in 2001. In January of that year, thanks to the fiscal policies of the Clinton administration, we were expecting a $5.6 trillion budget surplus over 10 years. Instead, thanks to the fiscal policies of President Bush and the Republican ``Rubber Stamp'' Congress, that $5.6 trillion surplus has been turned into a $3.3 trillion deficit. President Bush has yet to propose a balanced budget, and yet the Republicans do not seem to mind. They keep signing off on the budget proposals, ignoring fiscal discipline. Because of their reckless borrow-and-spend policy, Republicans were forced to increase the debt limit earlier this year for the fourth time in 5 years, raising it to nearly $9 trillion. We are currently borrowing more than $600,000 a minute, much of it from foreign countries such as China and Saudi Arabia. Mr. Speaker, if House Republicans are serious about fiscal discipline, they will stop rubber-stamping President Bush's failed fiscal policies. ____________________”