[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3100]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                THE DEBT

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. My constituents are perplexed with 
Washington, Mr. Speaker. Economists have warned and the public demands 
Washington tighten its belt. Despite this year's $1.6 trillion deficit, 
the President still refuses to change course and reduce spending.
  President Obama created the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal 
Responsibility and Reform by executive order. The commission's mission, 
according to the executive order was, quote, to identify policies to 
improve the fiscal situation in the medium term and to achieve fiscal 
sustainability over the long run.
  Unfortunately, the President's FY 2012 budget ignores every essential 
observation and proposal advanced by the commission and doubles debt 
held by the public by the end of his term while adding on $13 trillion 
in new debt.
  Erskine Bowles, the Democratic chairman of the fiscal commission 
stated: the White House budget request goes ``nowhere near where they 
will have to go to resolve our fiscal nightmare.''
  Mr. Speaker, my constituents and I agree. Despite the need to rein in 
our runaway debt, the President's budget is more of the same. It's time 
we take the economists and our constituents seriously and get serious 
on the debt. I ask my colleagues to join me in heeding their call.

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