[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 16544]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           THE DEBT BETRAYAL

  (Mr. SOTO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in 2010, Tea Party Republicans were swept into 
office on a passionate plea to eliminate the deficit, to reduce the 
national debt, and to not pass on a great fiscal burden to our 
children.
  Upon election, they boldly formed the Freedom Caucus, the fiscal 
watchdogs of the House. At the time, the national debt, in 2010, was 
$13 trillion, and many were deeply concerned about our Nation's fiscal 
situation, and they made a promise to do everything in their power to 
rein in wasteful spending and to get government's fiscal House in 
order.
  Now here we are in 2017, after nearly 7 years of a Republican-
controlled Congress, and the debt is over $20 trillion. That is 7 years 
of a Republican-controlled Congress and $7 trillion in additional debt.
  Now we have a tax giveaway of an additional $2.5 trillion to pass on 
to our children. I ask all the so-called fiscal conservatives in this 
Chamber, all the so-called Freedom Caucus members, where is your big 
talk about the debt now? Is your desire to claim a victory worth 
betraying your deepest principles forever?

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