Joe Barton: “Sometime in the very near future, we are going to have to vote on an increase in the national debt. The national debt…”

“Sometime in the very near future, we are going to have to vote on an increase in the national debt. The national debt ceiling is currently at $17 trillion, and all expectations are that the increase will put it up over $18 trillion or at least $17.5 trillion. It is unconscionable to me that one of the largest items already in our budget is the interest on the national debt, and that it is also one of the fastest growing items in the budget. I will not vote, Mr. Speaker, for a so-called ``clean'' debt ceiling, because I think that is a dirty deal for the American people. It is time to begin structural changes to our entitlement programs that make them subject to some sort of caps so that we can get back to balance and keep our budget in balance. This is one of those inflection points in American history, and I hope that the House of Representatives will insist on real reform in our budget before we vote to increase the public debt by one penny. ____________________”