[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8806]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  PAY YOUR BILLS OR LOSE YOUR PAY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM McDERMOTT

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 12, 2013

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, right now, all across this country, 
American families are looking at an average of $15,000 of credit card 
debt. The average student loan debt is double that. I'm sure each and 
every one of those families would like the option of saying, ``no 
thanks, I'm not interested in paying those bills.'' But they can't.
  Americans don't get to skip out on repaying their debt without 
drastic consequences. Why should Congress get to play by separate 
rules?
  When we talk about the debt ceiling, we're not talking about our 
spending habits or curbing our expenses; we're talking about fulfilling 
the promises we've already made. We can't debate our budget after we've 
received what we bought.
  The last time we played chicken with the debt ceiling, we deeply hurt 
our credit standing in the world. And we don't have to guess why we 
were downgraded: Standard and Poors directly told us that it was on 
account of the political circus the debate had become.
  Luckily for us, America still enjoys one of the highest credit 
ratings in the world, but with continued turmoil and unnecessary, 
partisan wars over this, how long do we expect our lenders to hang on?
  And why are we having this same, foolish fight? In the name of a so-
called ``debt crisis'' that even Speaker Boehner and Budget Chair Ryan 
admitted isn't a crisis.
  We're threatening vital services and sacrificing the security of our 
good national credit for a bogus threat, and all the while the real 
threat to our economy, anemic growth and persistent unemployment, still 
looms.
  Americans are tired of phony disasters. They want real solutions. 
They are tired of political theatre. They want jobs. They are tired of 
a Congress that can't do anything but bicker and point fingers. They 
want their representatives to get to work.
  To default on our debts would be more than irresponsible, it would 
send us down a path to becoming a banana republic. We are not a nation 
of deadbeats and delinquents. We pay our bills or we suffer dire 
consequences.
  If we in Congress won't do our job, we shouldn't get paid.

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