[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 165 (Friday, October 18, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H8232]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             NATIONAL DEBT

  (Mr. CLINE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, I am here once again to sound the alarm bell 
about our country's addiction to spending the hard-earned tax dollars 
of its citizens and future generations.
  It is with great regret that I report, as many are already aware, 
that our country's national debt has topped $1 trillion for fiscal year 
2019.
  Now, we know that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will 
blame President Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act for this shortfall; but, 
in fact, the corporations they attempt to hold responsible have paid $8 
billion more in the 11 months of this fiscal year than they did in 
2018, according to issuesinsights.com.
  No, the increase in the deficit over the past year is due to rampant 
spending, stemming from right here in this Chamber. Wasteful spending 
increases have been seen across the board; and, to add insult to 
injury, the interest owed on this money is now up more than 14 percent.
  This is an issue that can go on no more. I promised my constituents 
when I came to Washington that I would convey their concern about our 
runaway national debt. It is time for all lawmakers to understand that 
we cannot afford to use tax dollars as a piggy bank for pet projects. 
Spending like what we have seen is a threat to our national security 
and a disservice to the American people.
  Since I started speaking 50 seconds ago, our national debt has risen 
nearly $2 million. Therefore, we cannot simply encourage leadership in 
Congress to commit to restoring regular order in the appropriations 
process, but we must demand that we address this fiscal crisis before 
it is too late.

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