Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, we have heard on the floor this evening why the supplemental appropriations bill before us is not fiscally responsible. We have heard how we are not having an honest vote or even vigorous debate on key issues like raising the debt ceiling and what we are going to do with Social Security. People who have listened to the debate so far this evening have heard how this bill is setting the stage to surreptitiously increase the debt limit. Remember a year ago, the administration predicted we would not need a debt limit increase until the year 2008. Now after $4 trillion has disappeared from the expected surpluses, now we are going to continue to increase the Nation's debt instead of honestly assessing proposals dealing with the ongoing tax cuts and domestic spending program. We have heard how all the funds that are available for the debt limit increase must come directly from Social Security and Medicare trust funds. And we have heard that the interest payments on this mounting debt are estimated to increase over $1 trillion over the next decade above what was projected just a year ago. But, Mr. Speaker, I am most concerned and it is something that is going to be buried in terms of legislative consideration, about the signal that the Congress is sending by its efforts to legislate in the supplemental appropriations found in areas dealing with the environmental policies of this country.”