Dusty Johnson: “Our debt, our deficit, and our spending are indefensible. Three years ago, our national debt was $23 trillion, a…”

“Our debt, our deficit, and our spending are indefensible. Three years ago, our national debt was $23 trillion, a staggering sum by any measure. Since then, it has grown by 50 percent to $33 trillion. We have heard allegations tonight from one side of the Chamber that everybody deserves blame for that crisis, so let me be very clear. During that time, I voted against $13 trillion in spending. Nevertheless, we find ourselves at a tipping point. In the last 10 years, we have spent $3 trillion just on interest on the debt. In the next 10 years, we won't spend $3 trillion on interest, we will spend $10 trillion. For that money, our country gets nothing. No sailor, no soldier, no safety net. We get nothing. Making matters worse, in 7 years, Medicare is insolvent and in 10 years, Social Security is insolvent. We must get our fiscal house in order. Now, the appropriations bills before us move us in that direction. They do so through real, robust, and significant cuts, billions of dollars in cuts. Are the bills perfect? No. Do I support every single cut in every single bill? No. Can we balance the budget through nondefense discretionary cuts alone? No. To be honest, these bills will not solve all that ails us, but they are a critically important step toward stopping this runaway train. Business as usual, Madam Speaker, is unacceptable. A ``yes'' vote acknowledges that and moves us in the right direction. Mr. McGOVERN.…”