[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 133 (Tuesday, October 1, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H6063]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Mica) for 5 minutes.
Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, here we are, the government
has shut down. It's amazing some of my colleagues on the other side of
the aisle have political amnesia, sort of revisionist history. Let's
just look at some of the facts.
The other side of the aisle, the Democrats, took over in 2008. We
haven't had a Federal budget since 2008. The only way we got a budget
this year from the United States Senate was a provision that the
Republicans passed: ``No budget, no pay.'' We had to force them by
passing a law and embarrassing them to pass a budget.
How did we get in this situation? And this is a very critical
financial situation for the United States of America, for all
Americans. The shutdown is very unfortunate, but sometimes you have to
take dramatic steps to move forward. We got in this situation because
the other side--controlling the House, the Senate, and the White House
in 2008--went on a spending binge unprecedented in the history of
mankind in any government.
The first year they spent more than $1.5 trillion more than we took
in. From 2008 to current, we went from a $9 trillion deficit to $17
trillion; nearly doubled it in 5 years--every year spending out of
control.
{time} 1115
We put the brakes on a bit. This is about funding the government for
this next year that starts today.
In 2 weeks, we will reach the maximum limit of the indebtedness of
the United States. We can't let the United States become a Greece or a
deadbeat nation. But stop and think, they are going to ask for another
trillion--$900 billion in debt and deficit limits for the United
States.
At some point, you have to say enough is enough. Now, I Googled last
night to see my comments on the shutdown. I put in ``Mica shutdown.''
Sometimes we forget what has happened.
In August of 2011, I chaired the Transportation Committee and came to
the floor. The other side had controlled the House, the Senate and the
White House, and they could not pass an FAA bill. They did 20
extensions costing millions and millions of dollars leaving the FAA,--
an important agency--in turmoil.
Finally, I said: Enough is enough. I sent over an extension to Mr.
Reid--it was a clean extension--except it cut out his $3,720 per
airline ticket subsidy. I am not kidding. In Nevada, one of his
airports was getting $3,720.
So rather than take that, we had a partial shutdown of the FAA.
Recall that. Just Google it and you will see. I was called the
``Shutdown King.'' For 2 weeks they pilloried me. They called me an
``extortionist.'' They said I was a ``one-man Tea Party terrorist.''
They accused me of holding a gun to the Senate's head.
We did pass an FAA bill. We got an important part of our government
working again.
I don't like to take those tough measures. We have tried to be
reasonable. None of us on our side of the aisle voted for ObamaCare.
The other side voted for it, and they told us that we could read the
bill afterwards, and we would find out what is in it. We found out what
is in it. We tried and we voted more than 40 times to repeal it. We
tried in a reasonable fashion. We sent over three times proposals to do
some of the things that even the President has done, and that is
delaying mandates. He carved out exceptions for everybody, except for
individuals.
So here we are. They don't want to compromise. They didn't show up
for work on Sunday at all. They came in yesterday. How would you like
to show up for work at 2 when things are going to heck in a handbasket
and then reject a proposal?
We can't revise history. We have got to work together; we have got to
get this done. We have offered a conference to sit down, and we can get
the job done. Sometimes it is tough.
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