Sheila Jackson Lee: “Let me thank the gentleman from Florida. He has certainly awakened a number of issues and Members on his important…”

“Let me thank the gentleman from Florida. He has certainly awakened a number of issues and Members on his important discussion, and I wanted to join in his commentary. Mr. Speaker, we will be leaving shortly, and I'm glad that we will be returning on Monday for very serious business. Many of us have been in meetings today, engaging in solutions rather than distractions as relates to the business of the American people. None of us have experienced, I believe, the attention to the issue of the budget as much as we've had that attention now from our constituents on, will the debt ceiling be raised? There has not been a time in these past couple of weeks that I've gone home when businesspersons, students, seniors, working families have not asked the question: Will we get it done? I am an optimist, and I've said to them, Yes, I expect that. In fact, I've already gotten it done. I voted on the clean debt ceiling raise, or lift, some many weeks ago, and that was the right thing to do. The reason is that, over the last couple of decades, we have had 60-plus increases in the debt ceiling, starting with Ronald Reagan, including Bush I and Bush II, President Clinton, and President Carter. It's interesting that, for some reason, the tension in this discussion has really gone beyond understanding. Let me be very clear. We have had such an intense couple of months that we have not had the opportunity, really, to engage as Members of Congress.…”