Transportation, Housing And Urban Development, And Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010
Floor Speech
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Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, let me first say I appreciate the work of the chairman and our ranking member. But what I also appreciate is the fact that last week, for the first time in American history, our deficit reached $1 trillion, and we are not through the fiscal year yet, and some estimate that this could go as high as $2 trillion. So what I bring before the body today is a very straightforward amendment.
It says let's take that first step in trying to get our fiscal house in order. Let's take that, what I will call, modest first step. Let's go back to where we were just 9 1/2 months ago, before the stimulus, before the omnibus, before all this ridiculous spending got ahold of Congress. Let's go back to where we were just 9 1/2 months ago and let's live on that amount of money in this appropriation bill. After all, there are all kinds of families, all kind of small business owners, all kinds of American taxpayers who are doing just that.
Now, just like in the amendment a little while ago that my colleague from Tennessee offered, I am sure that the gentleman from Massachusetts will be opposed to this one, and will stand up and say, Well, we can't have this cut.
Again, remember, this is not a cut. This is taking us back to where we were less than a year ago before we had done the stimulus and the omnibus spending. As I indicated, it is exactly where a lot of families--and maybe more importantly--a lot of small business owners are functioning right now.
Mr. Chairman, I would reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I would just ask the question: How bad does it have to get? Do we have to get to a $2 trillion deficit? Do we have to get to a $3 trillion deficit? How bad does it have to get before we can simply say this: Let's just hold the line. Let's just quit making the problem worse. How bad does it have to get before we can do something that every single family has had to do at some point in their lives and that every single small business owner has had to do at some point? How bad does it have to get before we can take the first step--again, that modest first step?
Think about where we're heading. Over the next 10 years, with the pace of spending we're at right now, the Federal debt is going to go to $23 trillion. Now think about what it takes to pay that off. You first have to balance the budget. Then you have to run a $1 trillion surplus for 23 straight years, and that doesn't even count the interest, which is now approaching $1 billion a day.
I offered a balanced budget. A few months ago, we voted on the budget, which sets the context for this. I offered a balanced budget, and we reviewed it. Our budget didn't balance until the last year, until the 10th year of the budget window. We didn't balance until the last year, and we were viewed as the radicals.
I go back home and talk to folks. In my district, they look at me, and they say, JORDAN, you big sissy. Balance it in 4 or 5 years. What are you doing taking 10 years? That's the perspective the American people have. Yet, here in Washington, we continue to spend and spend and spend, and we can't even take that simple, modest first step of saying, You know what? Let's just live on what we were living on 9 months ago. Let's start to get our fiscal house in order. Let's start to do what the American people have to do all the time. That's all this amendment does.
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