[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12020-12021]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         RAISE THE DEBT CEILING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, my good friends have come to 
the floor of the House. My good friend just came and offered some 
solutions, and I would say that it's important for Members to have 
ideas and to be able to engage on behalf of the American people.
  Every time we stand in this well, we should be rising to make the 
lives of the American people, those who have entrusted us to be the 
holders of the values of this great country, we should be moving on on 
their behalf. So this morning, I'm asking that we get on with it. It's 
important to be discussing tax reform. But as many of us know, that is 
a long, protracted process of give-and-take. And many Americans will 
understand what the payroll tax is

[[Page 12021]]

all about when they look in the faces of their seniors and themselves 
and they know that part of that is Social Security. We know for a fact 
that Social Security has been a lifeline for millions of Americans, and 
it is solvent, and it's important to know that America is not broke.
  But the good work of the Ways and Means Committee and the good work 
of the Judiciary Committee, which is meeting right now--and I'll be 
heading on to that committee to talk about preventing corruption in 
business and making sure the American people get their fair share. It 
is important that we move on. And how do we move on? We do something 
that Americans have said by and large that they want us to do together, 
and that is to get past this debt ceiling, do something that has been 
done time after time after time.
  Yes, we have grown as a Nation, and the reason is because in World 
War II we were not 300 million-plus people. We didn't have all the 
assets and responsibilities. In fact, the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan 
were longer than World War II, and all of those moneys were spent under 
the last administration. Tax cuts that for individuals who, by and 
large, have said, No, thank you, because they want to invest in 
America.
  So I'm prepared to join with my many friends to work on moving this 
country forward, but let's move on. Let's move on beyond the impossible 
proposal given by Speaker Boehner that focuses on a two vote process 
for the debt ceiling increase and vote once then come back and fight it 
out again in 6 months. That is not the consistency and the evenness 
that is necessary for all of those who are seeking employment or all of 
those businesses or all of those in the arena of money making. They 
need an even pathway, they need consistency for the markets.
  We need to get on with the ordinary business so that we can begin to 
talk about the growth of this country, education for the young people, 
making sure the doors of businesses stay open, talk about how do we fix 
a tax system where we all can benefit. But as long as we are wallowing 
in the ordinary work, the work that should just go on, we will never 
reach the point of sanity, which is to sit down at the table of 
reconciliation and compromise. I know we have it in us. We like each 
other. But it appears to the American people that we may not like them.
  So I will just ask, we're nearing the resolution of the debt ceiling, 
again, to pay the bills that were built up between 2000 and 2008, 
billions of dollars spent in Afghanistan, billions lost in untoward 
contracts. We don't even know where the moneys have gone--Iraq, moneys 
lost; a war that was, in essence, a detour.
  And let me just say, every time I say that, I always thank our 
soldiers and their families because they are not a detour. They 
accepted the call to duty, and we owe them a great deal of 
appreciation.
  But the policymakers sent them into wars that are going on and on and 
on, and it caused this country to pay for these wars. At the same time, 
there are drastic draconian cuts in the revenue coming into the United 
States bank account.
  So here we are, President Clinton having left in 2000 with $500 
billion of surplus; we came out of 2008 in enormous debt. So what are 
we doing today? The debt ceiling is simply saying pay America's bills. 
And it's also saying to the many countries around the world--which we 
appreciate buying our Treasury notes. That is of value to the United 
States. The dollar has been stronger than any other currency, except 
the manipulation that goes on in China. But it's stronger than the 
euro.
  So, Mr. Speaker, it is important to pass the debt ceiling, get past 
this frivolity of doing it twice. It is time to pass and move forward 
the Reid proposal which can bring all of us together. And that's what 
we should do, begin to do, and look at it on behalf of the American 
people. America should pay its bills.

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