On the recordMarch 2, 2023
Mr. President, I rise today to thank my friend from Oklahoma, Senator James Lankford, for continuing the Senate's long tradition of delivering President George Washington's Farewell Address earlier this week. It is an annual reminder of what is great about America, but it is eerie how his warnings ring true today, even though it was delivered some 227 years ago. President Washington warned of the dangers of putting the will of the political party ahead of the will of the Nation. He also warned against the accumulation of debt and encouraged us to cherish public credit as a very important source of strength and security. My personal relationship with this and understanding is from my grandfather, affectionately known as ``Papa,'' ``Papa Joe,'' who would always say: Joe, if you have unmanaged debt, you will make cowardly decisions of how you live your life. Yet here we are today, watching party politics and out-of-control spending threaten the very foundation of our great Nation. This is exactly what George Washington was talking about, and he was so right 227 years ago as to what is so wrong with Washington today and what the American people are really sick and tired of having go on. The American people have had enough of the accounting gimmicks and budgetary games that we play in Congress, and it has got to stop.…





