Date: 2011-09-14
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I think we have already set the parameters for this discussion. We can see by the throngs that are on the floor of the House how keenly important this is to the American people. The reason why I say that is because important discussions draw Members even away from their duties elsewhere. But we know that the reason why we are speaking to empty seats is. one. because the other body has resoundingly denounced and voted this particular provision down because we have reached a compromise. a respectable compromise that we realize we have to pay our bills. But of course those who believe that they are not in the peoples House. they can put this resolution on the floor because if they look to what the people want. 46 percent of the American people believe that jobs are more important than reducing the deficit. More than 65 percent believe we should be doing a jobs bill. We have the greatest poverty among children of all sectors in all areas of the country right now as I speak. And the new population of the impoverished are those recent college graduates. All of the stars in the eyes and excited parents whove paid large amounts of dollars to ensure that their young ones have an opportunity for a college education. there are no jobs. Now. I dont concede to the fact that the only initiative that should come about should be from the government. but we are the umbrella on a rainy day. This is a small measure that the President has offered. a small. constructive measure. his jobs bill. It is balanced across the board. It provides relief for small businesses. It provides the jobs that they will create. It gives incentives to hire someone. It works with our larger companies as well. And. of course. it puts back to work what has been a devastating phenomenon in our communities. taking away firefighters. police and teachers. Youre going to feel the pinch when your young children are in classes that are 50 and 60 persons. So this is realistic. It also addresses the question of the 46.2 million Americans who are living in poverty. As I indicated. a disproportionate share of those are children. So what we are doing today goes smack against what the people want. and this is the peoples House. I am concerned that we are not only being redundant. but were saying to the world: smack us as irresponsible. We have the money to pay our bills. but we want the word to go out: we are irresponsible. Were not paying any bills. Were not Greece. were not Spain. were not Italy. We are Americans. and we have the knowitall and the commitment to be the greatest country. Ive never taken seriously the pundits about Americas decline. but it is a decline if we get on the floor of the House and ignore the needs of our brothers and sisters. ignore the needs in the Northeast where theres been a devastating hurricane. ignore those in the Southwest where 1.400 homes have been burned to the ground in Texas. Who is going to help those folks besides their private insurance? They need the Federal Government. the rainy day umbrella on a rainy day or when a fire is there. the hose for the fire. So I ask my colleagues to consider being realistic and rational. Vote this down. Put a jobs bill on the floor and do what the people want. create jobs now. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong opposition to H.J. Res. 77. a Resolution of Disapproval intended to prevent President Obama from raising the debt ceiling by $500 billion as he is authorized to do by the debt ceiling agreement reached last month. This resolution will obstruct the federal government from meeting their financial obligations. measures like this one have already failed in the Senate. This is a colossal waste of valuable legislative time. The message has been heard loud and clear. we must address the debt limit. however another message is being muffledthe need to focus on jobs. Here we are once again with another proposal before the House that appears to throw caution to the wind. This joint resolution is gambling on our financial future. if this amendment passes then we will fail to raise our nations debt limit and will allow our nation to default. We should have learned a valuable lesson from what happened the last time my colleagues on the other side of the aisle tried to suggest that we should allow our nation to default. The stock market reacted immediately and a well known credit company lowered our nations credit rating. We need to maintain our creditworthiness to meet the needs of the very people we have been sent here to serve. I am disappointed that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are more interested in playing political games than creating jobs or improving the economy. Attempting to prevent the President from raising the debt ceiling to pay for the needs of the country and functions of the government will only lead us to the brink of another crisis. This is a continued effort by my Republican friends to ransom the American economy in order to extort the American public. Instead of working toward a bipartisan job creation bill. congressional Republicans are attempting to constrain the ability of Congress to deal effectively with Americas economic. fiscal. and job creation troubles. There has been a consistent theme this Congress of failing to bring forward measures that will create jobs. My Republicans colleagues have set the agenda. They seem focused on cutting programs that benefit the public and those in need. while making no concrete attempt to focus on job creation and economic recovery. This bill is wasting a tremendous amount of time when we should be focused on paying our nations bills and resolving our differences. In my district. the Texas 186. more than 190.000 people live below the poverty line. We must not. we cannot. at a time when the Census Bureau places the number of American living in poverty at the highest rate in over 50 years. cut vital social services. Not in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and persistent unemployment. when so many rely on federal benefits to survive. like the Supplemental Nutrition Access Program. SNAP. that fed 3.9 million residents of Texas in April 2011. or the Women. Infant. and Children. WIC. Program that provides nutritious food to more than 990.000 mothers and children in my home state. In 2010. there were 46.2 million Americans living in poverty nationwide. According to the 2010 Federal poverty threshold. determined by the US Census. a family of four is considered impoverished if they are living on less than $22.314 per year. Children represent a disproportionate amount of the United States poor population. In 2008. there were 15.45 million impoverished children in the nation. 20.7% of Americas youth. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that there are currently 5.6 million Texans living in poverty. 2.2 million of them children. and that 17.4% of households in the state struggle with food insecurity. Attempts to prevent President Obama from raising the debt ceiling threaten our ability to keep paying for programs that benefit the least among us. and I for one. will not turn my back on the Americans who are the most in need of compassionate leadership and responsible governing. Threatening an increase in the debt ceiling threatens our ability to pay for Medicare. which guarantees a healthy and secure retirement for Americans who have paid into it for their entire working lives. Protecting Medicare represents the basic values of fairness and respect for our seniors. including the 2.9 million Texans who received Medicare in 2010. Yes. we must take steps to balance the budget and reduce the national debt. but not at the expense of vital social programs. It is unconscionable that in our nation of vast resources. my Republican colleagues would pass a budget that cuts funding for essential social programs. Poverty impacts far too many Americans and social safety nets provide these individuals with vital assistance. Perhaps my friends on the other side of the aisle are content to conclude that life simply is not fair. equality is not accessible to everyone. and the less advantaged among us are condemned to remain as they are. but I do not accept that. That kind of complacency is not fitting for America. Prior to the existence of the debt ceiling. Congress had to approve borrowing each time the federal government wished to borrow money in order to carry out its functions. With the onset of World War I. more flexibility was needed to expand the governments capability to borrow money expeditiously in order to meet the rapidly changing requirements of funding a major war in the modern era. To address this need. the first debt ceiling was established in 1917. allowing the federal government to borrow money to meet its obligations without prior congressional approval. so long as in the aggregate. the amount borrowed did not eclipse a specified limit. Since the debt limit was first put in place. Congress has increased it over 100 times. in fact. it was raised 10 times within the past decade. and last month. we were able to negotiate another compromise. and keep the country from default. I urge my colleagues not to undermine the agreement that was reached by attempting to block the Presidents ability to raise the debt ceiling. Once again. the American economy hangs in the balance as the act of the President raising the debt ceiling becomes an irrelevant spending debate that is as unnecessary as it is perilous. as increasing the debt ceiling does not obligate the undertaking of any new spending by the federal government. Rather. raising the debt limit simply allows the government to pay existing legal obligations promised to debt holders that were already agreed to by Presidents and Congresses. both past and present. This resolution is a petulant attempt to undermine President Obama. The bill itself says it is a joint resolution "relating to the disapproval of the Presidents exercise of authority to increase the debt limit". Exercise of authority. It does not say unlawful exercise of authority. or unconstitutional exercise of authority. The language of the bill itself makes it clear the President has the authority to raise the debt ceiling as indicated in the agreement reached on August 2. Passing this resolution will not decrease spending. it will merely compromise our ability to pay for spending already authorized. This bill does nothing to reduce the deficit. or address the budget. it only risks our economic standing and ability to pay our nations bills. while simultaneously hurtling the nation toward another debt ceiling crisis. Instead of spending time on resolutions designed to cast the President in a negative light. it is time for this Congress to come together. and pass meaningful legislation that will benefit the American people. In his address to a joint session of Congress last Thursday. President Obama gave this body a great opportunity to achieve bipartisan. job creating legislation that will invest in small business. help families that have been struggling with chronic unemployment. assist veterans in finding jobs. and invest in our infrastructure. It is time for a new sense of bipartisanship. It is time for Congress to work together to aggressively take on job creation. It is time to end these divisive tactics and compromise to encourage the rapid job growth the American people deserve. I urge my colleagues. Democrats and Republicans alike. to stand up and vote no on this partisan resolution. we can. and we must take this opportunity to declare our intent to do what is right. face what is hard. and achieve what is great. Instead of attempting to embarrass the President. I urge my friends on both sides of the aisle to come together. and focus on passing legislation that will help the American people by improving the economy and creating jobs. Now is not the time for partisan malice. now is not the time for H.J. Res 77. now is the time for this Congress to do all it can to usher in a new age of American ingenuity and prosperity. H.J. Res. 77 is simply a way to engage in past battles. and I am voting against it in order to focus on the future.