[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 31, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H513-H514]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING VIRGINIA SMITH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, throughout the course of our lives, we are 
both blessed and fortunate to cross paths with and befriend individuals 
who harbor a profound sense of dedication toward serving others and 
their communities. To me and countless others, Virginia Smith of Stokes 
County, North Carolina, is one of those people.
  This year, she will retire as the chairwoman of the Stokes County 
Republican Party, a position she has held since 2003.
  To know Virginia is to know someone who lives and breathes the 
meaning of possessing a servant's heart.

[[Page H514]]

From organizing events with her church to her civic involvement within 
her community, wherever Virginia goes, you know that she is on a 
mission to serve, and she will not be deterred in that mission.
  Truly, she is a community-driven woman. I cannot overstate her rock-
ribbed conservatism and how she has always espoused, promoted, and 
shared both the values and principles upon which our constitutional 
republic was founded.
  The simple truth is that we need more Virginia Smiths in this world.

  Her work as chairwoman and as a proud member of the Stokes County 
community has helped lay a foundation upon which our future leaders, 
the young men and women of today, can grow and thrive.
  Mr. Speaker, as Virginia enters this new and exciting chapter of her 
life, may she know that she has left an indelible mark upon the lives 
of so many people, me included. I am confident she will continue to do 
so.
  May God continue to bless her and her family in the days ahead.


                   Reasonable Raising of Debt Ceiling

  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, with $31.4 trillion in national debt, House 
Republicans are committed to finding a solution that is reasonable, 
sensible, and responsible regarding raising the debt ceiling.
  President Biden would be irresponsible not to negotiate. We must 
finally address Washington's reckless government spending if we want to 
put America on a better fiscal path.
  After 2 years of reckless deficit spending, the Biden administration 
is refusing to negotiate with Republicans to protect taxpayers and 
solve our Nation's debt crisis.
  Democrats accelerated spending following the last massive debt limit 
increase. After passing the largest debt limit increase in American 
history, it took Democrats only a little over a year to max out the 
Federal Government's credit card again.
  Democrats outspent record-high revenue. Despite record-high revenues 
from the Republican-passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Federal spending has 
continued to balloon, increasing by $10 trillion over the last 2 years, 
a record for a new President.
  There is a bipartisan path forward. Instead of refusing to negotiate, 
Democrats need to join Republicans in crafting a plan that protects 
taxpayers. All eight major spending reforms since 1985 have been 
attached to debt ceiling legislation.
  We must be, again, as Republicans say, reasonable, sensible, and 
responsible regarding raising the debt ceiling. We call on President 
Biden and the Democrats to join us in this effort.

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