Joe Pitts: “Governor George W. Bush has rightly pointed out that this boom economy is an opportunity we should not squander. It is…”

“Governor George W. Bush has rightly pointed out that this boom economy is an opportunity we should not squander. It is an opportunity to get our fiscal house in order to shore up programs like Social Security and Medicare for the next generation. Unfortunately, the opposition does not seem to see it that way. This is the fourth year in a row that the Republican Congress will pay down the public debt. That will bring us to half a trillion dollars in paid-back debt, and we will do it while preserving the Social Security and Medicare trust funds 100 percent intact. Mr. Speaker, 22 days ago we sent a letter to the President asking him to join us in this effort, but he has refused to respond. The only thing we have heard on the matter is what the President said to the newspapers: "It depends on what our spending commitments are." In other words, he would rather add billions of dollars in new spending than pay down the debt, and that is what Governor Bush means when he talks about squandered opportunities.”