[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8674]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        RAISING THE DEBT CEILING

  (Mr. CARNEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. CARNEY. Madam Speaker, this week the Democratic and Republican 
caucuses met with President Obama to discuss the need to increase the 
debt ceiling. The President said we need to raise the debt ceiling 
soon, and I agree. Defaulting on our debt is not an option for a great 
Nation like ours. No one wants to send the economy into another 
tailspin. Now is the time to restore fiscal discipline. That is what 
the American people, the global financial markets, and U.S. creditors 
expect, and that is why I support the attachment of a strong deficit 
reduction plan to any increase in the debt ceiling.
  Congress should attach a balanced and broad-based budget plan to the 
debt ceiling increase. The plan should include smart cuts that would 
total at least $4 trillion over the next 10 years. The budget agreement 
should also protect important investments in a strong economic future.
  We can't delay any longer. We can't pass these tough decisions on to 
our children and grandchildren. The people we serve sent us here to get 
this done, and it is time for both sides to do just that.

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