Date: 2013-04-25
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

whom I work with on the Budget Committee. introduced commonsense legislation that would have responsibly reduced our deficit and ended the sequester. Unfortunately. the Republican majority refused to allow an upordown vote on this floor for that straightforward legislation. They doubled down on irresponsible policies based on an economic math that we now know is completely flawed. It reminded me of a story. Two guys are in a lifeboat. and the one holding the oars says. "This is a bad situation. and one of us aint gonna make it." It doesnt take a genius to figure out who the guy with the oars is talking about. All of us are in this lifeboat together. and we know where the majority stands. Theyre not rowing for the middle class. Theyre just fighting to protect millionaires and make sure their special interests keep their tax breaks. We know families. businesses. and communities continue to be hurt by what we do or dont do here in Washington. Youve all seen it. FAA furloughs are causing flight delays. just one example of how were continuing to hurt our economy. We can do better. We can write a legitimate. measured budget for this country. Mr. Speaker. return this House to regular order. Our House has a budget. The Senate has a budget. Lets go to conference and start negotiating a real American budget. The American people deserve some certainty. and they certainly deserve to know what priorities are important to their elected representatives. For those watching at home. why is a conference committee so important? Because there are vast differences between the budgets currently on the table. A conference committee negotiates. in full view of the public. on principles and priorities that set funding for the next fiscal year. Lets talk about this like my Republican colleagues favorite thing to talk about. Lets talk about it like people do at the kitchen table. If paychecks are cut or an unforeseen emergency happens in a family. families dont just pay 10 percent less on their mortgage or require 10 percent less of the medications they depend on. Instead. we make smart cuts. We stop buying the things we dont need. but we dont stop educating our children. At least in my house. my wife and I dont decide whats important to us and ignore everyone else. That doesnt work in families. and it doesnt work in Washington. We sit down like adultsat least we should in Congressaround some kitchen table and figure out what we can buy and what we cant. We work through todays needs and plan for our future. We dont stop investing in our families. Like Senator WARNER said. that would be stupid. The House and the Senate need to get around the tableany table. If you cant find a table here in the Capitol. come to my kitchen table. We must create an American budget that invests in job growth and educating our future workforce. We can make cutsbut cuts that make sense. Lets root out the waste. fraud. and abuse and cut tax loopholes to make sure everyone pays their fair share. The American people have shown us what to do. Lets get around a table. Lets name conferees and show the people who sent us here that we can be responsible and keep the promise of the American Dream a reality. Ladies and gentlemen. I have been honored to be elected at the State legislative level in California. I have been honored to be a council member. and now. since January of this year. I have been a Member of this body. And Im very. very disappointed. In business. at home. and in elected office. Ive never seen a situation so stagnant. so stale and damaging to the people who sent us here to represent them.