On the recordDecember 20, 2012
And I congratulate you on the wisdom which you generously share with all of us. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the bill. Instead of putting forth a serious, comprehensive, and balanced deficit reduction plan, the Republicans are taking a timeout so the House can embark on yet another futile effort to pass portions of the Ryan budget--the same Ryan budget that would end Medicare as we know it, walk away from the caps on discretionary spending agreed to in the Budget Control Act, and has no chance of being signed into law. Our constituents want us to negotiate and agree to a solution to avoid economic catastrophe. I have concerns with some of the proposals the President has made in his negotiations with the Speaker, but at least the President was seeking a workable compromise. Instead, the majority walked away from the negotiating table and away from a $2.4 trillion deficit reduction package. Given everything our country has been through in the last 2 months, from Superstorm Sandy to the tragedy in Newtown, the last thing Americans need is for politicians to refuse to compromise while risking market collapse, credit downgrade, and putting the brakes on economic growth and job creation. I urge my colleagues to end the political charade. Let's get back to the serious task of negotiating a balanced deficit reduction plan. Let's do it now, today. We can do it.
