[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7903]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         DEAL WITH THE DEBT NOW

  (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, this week the national debt reached an 
unprecedented record of over $16.85 trillion. Such a figure is so mind-
boggling that I will make this simple. This means that every person in 
the United States now owes $53,329 to pay down the debt, and every U.S. 
taxpayer's debt share is now $148,186.
  With a debt at such high levels, it is not surprising that we are 
still experiencing an anemic 2 percent growth rate, which has produced 
the lowest job participation rate in 30 years. The ever-rising public 
debt threatens to drive up interest rates, crowd out private 
investment, and increase inflation. The implications will be severe and 
pronounced for all Americans, but most especially for the poor, the 
elderly, and the middle class.
  Mr. Speaker, if we don't deal with the debt now, the debt will deal 
with us.

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