[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6421]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       GROWING U.S. NATIONAL DEBT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Jones) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, last week, while we were in recess, I 
traveled through my district and had the opportunity to appear on local 
television and to speak at civic clubs. Every time I mentioned that we 
have an $18 trillion debt, eastern North Carolinians were astounded and 
could not believe it.
  To put the debt into perspective, on January 20, 2009, the total 
Federal debt stood at $10.6 trillion. As of last Friday, May 8, 2015, 
it has risen to $18--an increase of $7.5 trillion. Our debt now stands 
at over $200,000 for every full-time private sector worker. I agree 
with my constituents that it is time Congress stopped passing 
legislation that is not paid for.
  Republicans have control of both Chambers of Congress now because 
voters want us to cut the debt and deficit and stop passing legislation 
that is not paid for.
  In an April article for Forbes Magazine, Stan Collender wrote:

       If you haven't noticed that Congress is about to increase 
     the Federal deficit substantially, you haven't been watching 
     carefully . . . or at all. Virtually every policy change that 
     has already or soon will be considered seriously in the House 
     and Senate will make the deficit higher rather than lower.

  He further writes:

       Based on what Congress is now considering, the deficit 
     could be $100 billion or more next year than it otherwise 
     would be if you just put Washington on autopilot; that is, if 
     you made no changes to existing tax and spending policies. 
     That would be an almost 21 percent increase.

  It is obvious that our current fiscal policies are unsustainable.
  Mr. Speaker, I have been speaking for months and even years about the 
waste of money in Afghanistan. It is sad to me that we have been 
pouring money down a rat hole known as Afghanistan.
  We have spent over $685 billion in Afghanistan in the last 14 years, 
and President Obama just entered into a bilateral security agreement 
with Afghanistan late last year that ties us--our Nation--to a failed 
policy for another 9 years.
  What have we gained there, with over 2,000 American troops killed, 
over 20,000 wounded, and billions of dollars spent? My answer to my own 
question is: nothing. Absolutely nothing.
  A couple of weeks ago, I visited Walter Reed Army Medical Center to 
meet some of our veterans who had been wounded and are trying to heal. 
Some have wounds that will never truly heal.
  Congress owes it to them--and all of our men and women who serve--and 
the American taxpayer to have a serious debate about our future in 
Afghanistan. I think it is high time to leave Afghanistan. Nine more 
years is absolutely fruitless.
  Mr. Speaker, out of fairness to American taxpayers and future 
generations, we can no longer delay the need to pay down our debt and 
work toward sound economic policies. And out of fairness to our 
veterans and the men and women who serve in the military, we need to 
have a serious debate about spending more money and time in 
Afghanistan, when it has been proven and is well known by historians to 
be the graveyard of empires. Is it worth it, Mr. Speaker? I think not.
  May God continue to bless our men and women in uniform and may God 
continue to bless America.

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