Sheila Jackson Lee: “No American, no patriot would stand on this floor representing the American people and argue for the default on America…”

“No American, no patriot would stand on this floor representing the American people and argue for the default on America legislation. To refuse to pay our bills is an insult to the men and women who swore to die for this country. You want to know why? Because it would cut 30 million visits from veterans at the veterans' hospitals and 81,000 jobs from the Veterans Health Administration. It would increase the wait times for benefits like pensions and jeopardize the National Cemetery Administration caring for our cemeteries. {time} 1500 If you are in retirement, $20,000 could be lost out of your retirement. Is that patriotic? In addition, you would cut grants for low-income students. You would cut and cause the expense of colleges to go up in Texas and around the Nation. In the 18th Congressional District you would jeopardize Social Security payments from $61,000, put public health benefits at risk for 242,000 people, and increase lifetime mortgage costs. You would raise the debt $1.74 trillion. This is unpatriotic. It is not representative of what America stands for. Vote against a bill that strips food assistance from 4,000 Texans. Mr. Speaker, as a Senior Member on the House Budget Committee, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 2811, the Limit, Save, Grow Act.…”