Political Quotes

“I was a bit surprised--although one is never totally surprised in this body--when my Democratic colleagues were saying this morning that something bad has happened because the historic budget that would change the debt course of America, that has been announced by Congressman Paul Ryan and his House Budget Committee today, violates the Budget Control Act. It spends a few billion dollars less than what was capped in the Budget Control Act. The Budget Control Act that passed put a cap on the roughly $1 trillion of discretionary spending only. And from that $1 trillion-plus cap, the House would reduce spending by $19 billion in the proposed budget today, and this somehow violates good spirit around here and is the wrong thing. But I would just say that when the Budget Control Act passed in the wee hours of the morning at the eleventh hour and the 59th minute before a government shutdown occurred, we knew it wasn't enough of a reduction in spending. It wasn't half of what experts have told us needs to be reduced over the next 10 years to put America on a sound debt path. We are on a disastrous debt path. We are heading to the most predictable financial crisis this Nation has ever faced because we are spending 40 cents per dollar more than we have. We are borrowing 40 cents of every dollar we spend--borrowing it--just to maintain this level of spending.…”