[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 100 (Thursday, July 7, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H4681]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TOUGH DECISIONS TO SOLVE FISCAL PROBLEMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Kinzinger) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, let's think about something 
very quickly. What is the most basic job that we can do--in the House 
of Representatives or in the Senate of the United States--in 
government?
  One of the most basic jobs we do is to pass a budget; to figure out 
where we are going to spend money and how we are going to spend money. 
Yet it has been 799 days today since the other Chamber has passed a 
budget out of the Senate. Since that day, we have added $3.2 trillion 
in debt to our country and we have spent $7.3 trillion.
  Now we are finding ourselves bumping up against this debt ceiling, 
against the statutory limit of where we can spend and borrow money. We 
are on this record clip, this record pace to blow through this debt 
ceiling, and we are here.
  In 2006, now-President Obama stood in front of the Senate and said 
that raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. 
Well, sounds like we are in that position today. Five years later, we 
are once again talking about an over $2 trillion increase in our 
Nation's ability to borrow money, which we are tacking on to the 
responsibility of our kids and our grandkids. Once again, we're back.
  We have an extreme failure of leadership in this country that is of 
epic proportions. We know, we look at our budget, we see over a 
trillion-and-a-half dollars this year that we are spending that we 
haven't taken in, and yet we are continuing to haggle about whether we 
need to just raise taxes or have spending cuts.
  We have a spending problem in this country; we don't have a revenue 
problem in this country. We have a problem with how much money we are 
spending.
  I am a new Member of Congress. I came here and was sworn in in 
January, and within a couple of days the President of the United States 
asked us to increase the debt limit without any corresponding cuts or 
anything along those lines. I actually thought it was a joke. I mean, 
really, we are going to add another $2 trillion onto our debt and not 
even take seriously the fact that we are just piling on more and more 
interest.
  I mean, we're spending more in interest right now than we do in the 
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Think about that; two wars, and 
we are spending more in interest. And it is only going to increase 
every year.
  I can tell you, the youth of America, the current generation that is 
in charge in America is all sitting around saying at some point the 
insanity has to end. You know, I travel around the 11th Congressional 
District in Illinois, which includes Joliet, places like Ottawa and 
Morris, Bloomington, Princeton, Peru. And you know what I hear from 
people? I don't hear them say, Congressman Kinzinger, boy, we sure have 
a revenue problem in this country; don't we? I hear them say, 
Congressman, we are spending too much money. We have a spending 
problem.
  The President is asking us to increase the debt limit. We have to be 
willing to have at least as much as we are going to increase the debt 
limit or more in spending cuts for us to even consider it at this 
point. It has got to be done. And how best are we going to get out of 
debt? Yes, we have to have these spending cuts. And, yes, we have to 
get serious about our budget. But we have to get America back to work.
  I think it was put well yesterday. Mr. President, where are the jobs? 
Where are the jobs? Mr. Speaker, I'm asking: Where are the jobs?
  It is time that we get America back to work. We turn people then from 
tax recipients to taxpayers. And as much as I like to say ``where are 
the jobs?,'' let me ask another question: Where is the leadership?
  We've got to make tough decisions. It's time that we stand up and say 
I'm tired of kicking the can down the road. I wasn't sent to 
Washington, D.C., to kick the can down the road. I was sent here to be 
a leader and to make tough decisions. And I can tell you, House 
Republicans are ready to be leaders and make tough decisions, but we 
have to have willing partners on the other side.
  I know 2012 is just around the corner. I get it. I understand that. 
But 2011 is still now. America can't afford to forget that 2011 still 
exists and to just focus on the next election. We have to focus long 
term on the next generation. Let's get our budgets in gear. Let's have 
a real serious discussion. And for goodness sake, let's put politics 
aside and make sure that we are still the strongest country in the 
world.

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