[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11350-11351]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                 BUDGET

  (Mr. WITTMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, we heard Washington won't have a 
budget blueprint this year. For the first time in modern history, 
Congress

[[Page 11351]]

will not perform one of its primary responsibilities.
  I believe it is simply not acceptable to pass the buck at a time when 
families are feeling uncertain about what comes next in this economy. 
All across this Nation, families are making tough choices. Is this 
decision to forgo a budget simply to pass on making tough choices? 
Without a budget, Congress is avoiding the tough choices American 
families and small businesses must make every day.
  This failure to govern and to lead is especially alarming as spending 
deficits and debt continue to spiral out of control. The Treasury 
Department reported recently that the Federal Government is now $13 
trillion in the red, marking the first time the government has sunk 
that far into debt.
  The United States simply cannot continue on an unchecked spending 
spree that will put the future of our economic strength in jeopardy in 
the short term and for the next generation. We have to control spending 
in Washington. It must start now. American individuals and families are 
looking for leadership.
  I ask leaders of this House today to reconsider this decision and to 
perform the duties we are elected to do.

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