Emergency Mortgage Relief Program Termination Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. WOMACK. Madam Chair, I move to strike the last word.

The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Arkansas is recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. WOMACK. Madam Chair, hundreds of times since I took the oath of office just a few weeks ago, I've heard references to ``kicking the can down the road.''

This kicking of the can, the ``can'' being the deficit and the debt, has come to the end of that road. In fact, we have used this term so many times, America has a chronic case of turf toe.

Washington is in a state of denial. We continue to give away taxpayer dollars--correction, borrowed dollars--to people who can't afford to pay it back. Our friends from the other side want you to believe that we don't have a heart, that we're insensitive to the plight of those who are struggling because they've lost jobs and can't afford their mortgages.

Well, let me tell you what Americans understand. Americans understand that we cannot continue to live in this irresponsible way--giving away borrowed money, program after program, knowing that it's going down a rat hole. Just another kick at the proverbial can. If you can't cut an expensive, irresponsible program like this one, then what can you cut?

Look, we're all about job creation. Job creation is the preferred way to deliver us from this financial plight that we happen to be in. But the problem with job creation right now is that there is a dark, dark cloud hanging over America as we know it with a huge deficit, a record deficit, and a mounting debt, a debt so large that very soon in this very Chamber we'll be taking up the issue of a debt ceiling increase.

That dark cloud includes higher taxes, that dark cloud includes burdensome regulation, and that dark cloud certainly includes deficits and debt.

This program must be eliminated. The savings must go to deficit reduction.

We have come to the end of the road. We can no longer kick this can any further. My colleagues and I are demonstrating leadership in this arena, something this Congress has lacked for several years.

I encourage support of H.R. 836.

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