Pete Sessions: “I wish we had an agreement that is grand and great and would do what a lot of people have been dreaming of for some time…”

“I wish we had an agreement that is grand and great and would do what a lot of people have been dreaming of for some time and would put us on a sound financial path for decades to come. It is within our grasp. But it seems we are unable to make those choices or bring that forward. I believe if the President has led and given a commitment to fixing our financial problems in America, we could have done it in the last few years. But he has not. So it has put us in a bad position, and we end up with the agreement we have today, which essentially would save some of the risk of a government shutdown and reduce some of the tension, which a lot of people think is great and I do too. It would be good for the country to have more predictability. It would be good for the Defense Department to have more predictability. It would be good for the financial community to have more predictability about what is happening in Washington. But what occurred is not sufficient in any way, and it has been postured to look a good bit better than it is. Essentially, we remain on an unsustainable financial path in America. The numbers are real clear. We are seeing a reduction in our deficit in the near term, but the Congressional Budget Office tells us in the next several years we will begin to see the relentless increase in deficits every year, reaching almost $1 trillion again by the end of this 10- year window. That is not a good path to be on.…”