[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11543]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                               DEBT LIMIT

  (Ms. TSONGAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, unless this Congress takes action on August 
2, our Nation will stop paying our bills because we refuse to come 
together and take shared responsibility. These bills pay for policies 
already purchased, such as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the 2003 
prescription drug benefit, tax cuts, and emergency measures to save our 
economy.
  Yesterday, House Republicans passed a bill that asked for sacrifices 
from seniors, veterans, and children but exempted corporations from 
giving up even their most egregious tax loopholes, like those that 
encourage shipping jobs overseas. That bill also all but guarantees a 
default by requiring a two-thirds vote from both Chambers before we can 
pay our bills. To return to the balanced budgets of the 1990s will 
require a long-term commitment from the entire country, a commitment 
that will only come if everyone contributes.
  We do not need to end Social Security and Medicare, as some would do. 
We can and must reduce the deficit in a balanced way that ensures the 
well-being of every American.

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