[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 25565]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  NATIONAL DEBT SURPASSES $8 TRILLION

  (Mr. CARDOZA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. CARDOZA. Madam Speaker, just 2 weeks ago, the national debt 
passed the $8 trillion mark.
  This unfortunate milestone was the direct result of policies put in 
place by the leadership of this Congress and the Bush White House. Now 
our friends on the other side of the aisle want the Members of the Blue 
Dog Coalition to endorse their latest push to run the debt even higher.
  This budget package should be called the ``Deficit Expansion Act.'' 
It would continue drowning America in red ink in order to finance new 
tax cuts for the wealthy and privileged. It is time for a real strategy 
for fiscal responsibility, not more of the same.
  The Blue Dog Coalition has put forward a comprehensive, 12-step plan 
that would dig America out of this fiscal mess. Our proposal includes 
commonsense reforms such as reinstating PAYGO rules and discretionary 
spending caps.
  I strongly urge my colleagues in Congress to take immediate action on 
the debt by embracing real bipartisan reform.

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