Charles W. Stenholm: “I hope everyone caught the significance of the exchange between the chairman and me, because I am not disagreeing with…”

“I hope everyone caught the significance of the exchange between the chairman and me, because I am not disagreeing with anything that he offered in opposition to this amendment, because what he said is 100 percent true. I hope everyone in this body understands the significance of this side offering the hand of bipartisanship to pass an increase in the debt ceiling, which we must do. If we did not do that, our Nation would default on our good credit, and that is intolerable, unthinkable. The purpose of this amendment, though, is to try once again to get my friends on that side of the aisle to accept the responsibility for the economic policy that they have voted and revoted and voted and revoted and continue to do, and that is building the debt for our children and grandchildren at a rate unseen in our history of our country. It took us 204 years to borrow the first $1 trillion. We are about to borrow $19 trillion in a year-and-a-half, and my friends on that side do not seem to care. We are offering to put back pay-as-you-go for spending and tax cuts to be paid for. It does not mean we cannot cut taxes. In fact, I support repeal of the marriage tax penalty, I support doing the child tax credit. I would like to see it. But I want to see it paid for, not passed on to my three grandsons in debt because it is good politics right before an election. We are offering sincerely to offer some votes. Bring it up and vote on it.”