[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 89 (Thursday, May 25, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H2614-H2615]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          DEBT CEILING CRISIS

  (Mr. JEFFRIES asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the 
extreme MAGA Republican effort to default on our debt, crash the 
economy, and trigger a job-killing recession.
  From the very beginning of this Congress, House Democrats have been 
focused on putting people over politics. Lower costs, better-paying 
jobs, safer communities, fighting for reproductive freedom, defending 
democracy, ensuring an economy that works for everyday Americans--
people over politics.
  We have made clear from the very beginning that we are willing to 
find common ground with the other side of the aisle for the good of the 
American people whenever and wherever possible. We have also made clear 
that we will fight extremism whenever necessary.
  So, we are here on the floor today because this default crisis is 
before the American people as a result of extreme MAGA Republicans 
making the political calculation that they will benefit in 2024 if they 
crash the economy, if America defaults, if we fail to pay our bills, if 
millions of people are made to suffer--not our words. Those are the 
words of former President Donald Trump, the words of the chairman of 
the Republican National Committee, the words of extreme MAGA 
Republicans at the very far right of their Conference.
  It is a political calculation that we are going to take hostages, the 
American people and the economy, and threaten to crash the economy, to 
hurt these hostages, if necessary, or extract painful cuts--painful 
cuts to our veterans; to disabled children on Medicaid; to people who 
rely on nutrition assistance, including our veterans; to children; to 
teachers; to public safety; and, of course, to our military families.
  These are the stakes that are before the American people. That is why 
House Democrats are here on the floor fighting.
  How we know that the other side of the aisle has made the 
determination that they are willing to default on our debt to crash the 
economy is because this default crisis is before the American people. 
On June 1, America may run out of the ability to pay our bills, and 
extreme MAGA Republicans have chosen to get out of town before sundown, 
to flee Washington, D.C., to risk a dangerous default in a crisis that 
they have created.
  These Republicans are going to say that Joe Biden refused to sit down 
with them. That is a fake narrative that they have continued to try to 
put into the public domain. They said that President Biden refused to 
talk for 97 days, a fake, false, fraudulent narrative.
  How do we know? The timeline is pretty clear.
  On February 1, President Biden sat down with the Speaker of the 
House. They had a conversation in the Oval Office. President Biden said 
that we will produce our budget on March 9 so that the American people 
know our values, know the types of investments that should be made for 
their health, their safety, and their economic well-being, and 
challenged the extreme MAGA Republicans to do the same thing.
  On March 9, President Biden produced his budget, a budget that will 
strengthen and protect Social Security, a budget that will build an 
economy from the middle out and the ground up, a budget that will cut 
the deficit by an additional $3 trillion on top of the $1.7 trillion 
that has already been cut by the Biden administration over the last 2 
years.
  Then, we waited for Republicans to produce their budget.
  Early March, no budget.
  Mid-March, no budget.
  Late March, no budget.
  Early April, no Republican budget.
  Mid-April, no Republican budget.
  Then, on April 25, they didn't produce a budget, but they produced 
the default on America act--not a budget, a ransom note, threatening to 
hurt the well-being of the American people with draconian cuts.
  They introduced it on April 25. On April 26, they voted on it, and 
they passed it simply because George Santos, a serial fraudster, 
provided the deciding vote.
  This is who they are.
  Then, on April 27, they got out of town. Some of them were overseas 
for 10 days, and then as soon as they got into town, Tuesday, May 9, 
President Biden, on the first opportunity he had, reconvened all of us 
in the Oval Office.
  Mr. Speaker, that is the timeline.
  From the very beginning, Democrats have been willing to do two 
things: one, that America must pay our bills--period, full stop--in a 
manner consistent with what has been done under Democratic Presidents 
and Republican Presidents, including by House Democrats making sure we 
avoided a default three times under the previous administration, 
notwithstanding the fact we had strong policy disagreements. What 
Republicans were doing at the time included passing the 2017 GOP tax 
scam, where 83 percent of the benefits went to the wealthiest 1 
percent, sticking us with an additional $2 trillion worth of debt. Why? 
To subsidize the lifestyles of the wealthy, the well off, and the well 
connected.
  We had strong policy disagreements about what was going on in the 
Trump administration, but we never threatened to default on our debt. 
That is the patriotic thing to do.
  We helped make sure we avoided a default three times, notwithstanding

[[Page H2615]]

the fact that, in our country's 247-year history, 25 percent of the 
Nation's debt was racked up under the 4 years of the Trump 
administration.
  How dare Republicans lecture America about fiscal responsibility with 
that shameful record. Notwithstanding the fact that Republicans have 
racked up unprecedented amounts of debt to subsidize the rich, the 
richest amongst us, and big corporations, we never threatened a 
default.
  Yet, here we are, a few days from America being unable to pay our 
bills because you have made a political calculation that you will be 
successful in 2024 if you crash the economy.
  That is wrong. That is cruel. That is un-American.
  Republicans will be hurting veterans, hurting children, hurting 
seniors, hurting young people, hurting everyday Americans.
  That is why Democrats are here today in Washington, fighting hard 
against this unreasonable, manufactured default crisis. This is a 
default crisis that is manufactured MAGA madness.
  It is repugnant, reckless, and reprehensible.
  It is unacceptable, unconscionable, and it is un-American.
  That is why House Democrats have remained on the House floor fighting 
hard for everyday Americans. That is why we are here and will continue 
to fight for working families; continue to fight for middle-class 
folks; continue to fight for all those who aspire to be part of the 
middle class; continue to fight for young people; continue to fight for 
older Americans; continue to fight for veterans; continue to fight for 
military families; continue to fight for people in urban America, rural 
America, suburban America, small-town America, and the heartland of 
America; continue to fight for the people in Appalachia; continue to 
fight for the poor, the sick, and the afflicted; continue to fight for 
the least, the lost, and the left behind.
  House Democrats will continue to fight for everyday Americans to 
avoid a default, and we will not rest until victory is won.

                          ____________________