Sylvester Turner: “tonight the House began the debate on the supplemental appropriations bill, a bill that funds the war on terrorism and…”

“tonight the House began the debate on the supplemental appropriations bill, a bill that funds the war on terrorism and makes sure that our troops in the field have the necessary equipment and tools they need to win this war. Every Member of this House supports funding the war on terrorism. That is not what the debate was about tonight nor will it be what the debate is about tomorrow, as we continue to debate this supplemental. The debate tonight was about a provision of the bill that the Republican leadership put in there that would allow an unlimited increase in the statutory debt ceiling. The statutory debt ceiling is a law that provides the maximum amount that our Federal Government can go into debt. It is one of the few tools that we have to promote fiscal responsibility and require fiscal discipline in this House. The Democrats tonight stood up to tell the American people that we deserve to have an honest and open debate regarding this very critical issue. If we increase the national debt limit by $750 billion, as Secretary O'Neill has requested, we will be giving this Congress a blank check for uncontrolled spending for ever-increasing debt and for deficits. It is wrong for us to ask the young men and women in uniform who are sacrificing tonight to fight this war against terrorism to be the very generation that comes home and pays the bills for this war.”