[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15621]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           THROWBACK THURSDAY

  (Mr. PITTENGER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTENGER. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Throwback Thursday, I would 
like to read to my colleagues the words of then-Senator Barack Obama 
during the debate on March 16, 2006, about raising the debt limit:

       The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's 
     debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that 
     the U.S. Government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign 
     that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from 
     foreign countries to finance our government's reckless fiscal 
     policies.
       Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and 
     internationally. Leadership means that the buck stops here. 
     Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices 
     today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. 
     America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. 
     Americans deserve better.
       I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase 
     America's debt limit.

  That was spoken by Senator Barack Obama on March 16, 2006.
  Mr. Speaker, we have a $17 trillion debt today under the leadership 
of President Obama. I would say today is the day to come together as 
reasonable people to resolve this crisis.

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