Political Quotes

On the recordFebruary 17, 2011
Mr. President, this week the Senate began a debate about nothing less than the future of this country. Next year we face a $1.65 trillion deficit, the third year in a row where the United States will run a deficit of over a trillion dollars. Even more daunting, we are over $14 trillion in total debt. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, or CBO, the debt held by the public is projected to reach $18.3 trillion--or 77 percent of GDP--by the end of 2021. This is a problem that truly threatens the well-being of this Nation. CBO projects that the cost of simply paying the interest on all of this debt will rise to $792 billion--or 3.3 percent of GDP--in 2021. When you are pushing $1 trillion a year in interest payments alone, you are reaching a day when the national government will not have the resources to accomplish even the limited mission delegated to it by the Constitution This is what ADM Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, meant when he testified today that ``our debt is the greatest threat to national security.'' The President could have led on this issue, when he released his budget earlier this week. But he took a pass instead. Apparently he and his Democratic congressional allies have done some polling that tells them two things. First, the American people are demanding that Washington tackle our annual deficits and skyrocketing debt.…
Said by
Orrin Hatch
Republican · Utah

Share & report

More from Orrin Hatch

Sep 3, 2018

I know a good nominee when I see one, and you are a great nominee.

congress.gov
Sep 3, 2018

We need good, decent people to step forward to contribute even when it is ugly, particularly when it is ugly.

congress.gov
Sep 18, 2018

The FBI does not do investigations like this. The responsibility falls to us.

transcripts.cnn.com
Sep 3, 2018

the most important job of the Supreme Court is constitutional interpretation and implementation.

congress.gov

Other voices in this conversation