Ritchie Torres: “The failed wars in Afghanistan and Iraq added trillions of dollars to the debt and both began under a Republican…”

“The failed wars in Afghanistan and Iraq added trillions of dollars to the debt and both began under a Republican President. The 2001, 2003, and 2017 tax cuts added trillions to the debt and each one began under a Republican President. The great recessions of 2008 and 2020 added trillions to the debt and each one began under a Republican President. The Trump administration alone accounted for one-fourth of all the debt accumulated since 2000. The Republican Party is like an arsonist who burns down your home and then blames you for the fire while lecturing you on fire safety. The fiscal responsibility of House Republicans is as fictional as George Santos. The House GOP is threatening to default on America unless it can extract draconian budget cuts against our seniors, veterans, essential workers, and families with children. Madam Speaker, that is not a negotiation. That is an extortion of the American people. That is, in the words of Matt Gaetz, ``a hostage taking.'' It is a hostage taking that will threaten to transform a Republican-made debt problem into a Republican-made debt crisis. ____________________”