[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 24 (Monday, February 10, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H1701]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     A ``CLEAN'' DEBT CEILING: A DIRTY DEAL FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

  (Mr. BARTON asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BARTON. Mr. Speaker, sometime in the very near future, we are 
going to have to vote on an increase in the national debt. The national 
debt ceiling is currently at $17 trillion, and all expectations are 
that the increase will put it up over $18 trillion or at least $17.5 
trillion.
  It is unconscionable to me that one of the largest items already in 
our budget is the interest on the national debt, and that it is also 
one of the fastest growing items in the budget. I will not vote, Mr. 
Speaker, for a so-called ``clean'' debt ceiling, because I think that 
is a dirty deal for the American people.
  It is time to begin structural changes to our entitlement programs 
that make them subject to some sort of caps so that we can get back to 
balance and keep our budget in balance. This is one of those inflection 
points in American history, and I hope that the House of 
Representatives will insist on real reform in our budget before we vote 
to increase the public debt by one penny.

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