Political Quotes

“Today, the House will take a major step in efforts to balance the Federal budget. Like American families and businesses, Congress must be fiscally responsible and pay for what we spend. Our focus this year is twofold: restoring our economy and reducing the deficit. PAYGO legislation is an essential step in the process of cutting the deficit. Growing jobs and restoring fiscal discipline is not easy or quick, particularly given the financial situation we inherited. In 2002, Republicans allowed PAYGO to expire and turned budget surpluses into a deficit for 2009 of $1.3 trillion. How did this happen? They grew annual spending by over 8 percent. They passed the largest expansion of entitlements without paying for it. They started and didn't pay for two wars. And they gave and did not pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. Collectively, these actions added $8 trillion to the national debt. We must agree, and we should, as Republicans and Democrats, agree to pay for what we spend as an important step in putting our Nation back on track towards fiscal discipline and responsible budgeting. I would say vote ``yes'' for PAYGO legislation.”