Jeb Hensarling: “There is no doubt that Hurricane Sandy rendered unspeakable damage to lives and property on our East Coast. It truly…”

“There is no doubt that Hurricane Sandy rendered unspeakable damage to lives and property on our East Coast. It truly represents one of the great natural disasters of recent history. For millions of our fellow citizens, the devastation has been unfathomable. We are a compassionate nation, and that is why the House of Representatives is taking up its second Hurricane Sandy relief bill. Sadly, Hurricane Sandy isn't the only disaster we face as a nation. The tragic reality is that our nation is broke. We have amassed more debt in the last four years than was accumulated from President George Washington through President Bill Clinton. Our spending trajectory is unsustainable by any account. Our swelling $16.4 trillion debt threatens our national security, our economic well-being and our children's very future. If we don't quit spending money we don't have, it is they who will become the next victims--think Greece. It is past time to re-examine the proper role of the federal government in providing disaster relief and how that relief is financed. In the wake of a tragedy like Hurricane Sandy, all agree, no matter what, that disaster victims must receive basic necessities like food, water, power, medicine and law enforcement. This is undebatable. Yet as we continue to borrow more than 30 cents on the dollar, much of it from the Chinese, can and should the federal government continue to fund the restoration of private homes, businesses and automobiles?…”