[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 89 (Thursday, May 25, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H2618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          DEBT CEILING CRISIS

  (Mr. TORRES of New York asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. TORRES of New York. Madam Speaker, the failed wars in Afghanistan 
and Iraq added trillions of dollars to the debt and both began under a 
Republican President. The 2001, 2003, and 2017 tax cuts added trillions 
to the debt and each one began under a Republican President. The great 
recessions of 2008 and 2020 added trillions to the debt and each one 
began under a Republican President.
  The Trump administration alone accounted for one-fourth of all the 
debt accumulated since 2000. The Republican Party is like an arsonist 
who burns down your home and then blames you for the fire while 
lecturing you on fire safety.
  The fiscal responsibility of House Republicans is as fictional as 
George Santos. The House GOP is threatening to default on America 
unless it can extract draconian budget cuts against our seniors, 
veterans, essential workers, and families with children.
  Madam Speaker, that is not a negotiation. That is an extortion of the 
American people. That is, in the words of Matt Gaetz, ``a hostage 
taking.'' It is a hostage taking that will threaten to transform a 
Republican-made debt problem into a Republican-made debt crisis.

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