Time to Pay the Piper

Floor Speech

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, as the clock ticks, the country gets closer to a time when it will run out of money.

People probably couldn't understand all of the debate leading up to the implementation of ObamaCare just a few days ago, and some of the questions and debate became blurred. That was one of the biggest government programs--largest spending programs--probably in the history of our Nation; but it did have consequences, because you are spending more trillions of dollars, and if we are going to provide health care, we want it right. There are many Americans who don't have health care, and we should assist them in a responsible fashion. The roll-out has been a disaster. We are holding a hearing on that in the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

All that being said, it's about time to pay the piper here. I think the American people will understand, and can understand, that the country is close to default. The country is close to default because we have incurred an indebtedness that will soon exceed $17 trillion, an indebtedness which, again, will reach the current limit next week. They are asking for another $1 trillion or $900 billion to get us one more year. We are going to have to pay the piper.

When you spend $1.5 trillion more a year in the first year with the Obama administration and, in each succeeding year, over $1 trillion more than you took in, you acquire an indebtedness. It was $9 trillion when President Bush left office, and it will soon be $18 trillion in some 6 years, the most indebtedness of any nation. We can't become a Greece. This is not that difficult to understand.

When the government can't pay its bills, if folks think there is a temporary shutdown now, think of a permanent shutdown. Think of going to the bank and not being able to withdraw money or, as you've heard, not being able to obtain a mortgage. The full faith and credit of the United States of America will collapse. Just like when an individual spends more than he earns, he must pay the piper. Hopefully now, everyone can understand we are in that situation and that we must act responsibly.

Republicans are not standing in the way. Republicans are trying to save the day because this is coming due. The bill is due. We must find a way to cut spending, reduce the amount of Federal spending and keep the debt down. It's that simple. If the President of the United States will not negotiate and if the Senate will not negotiate, you cannot achieve what we need to do to be responsible as stewards of the American people. We are one half of one-third of the government, so this isn't all our responsibility.

We are trying to act responsibly, and we are asking people to come together and find a way to reduce spending in a responsible manner. If we have got problems with some programs like ObamaCare, let's fix them. Let's get this spending down. Again, this is the time we are going to have to pay for all of these government programs, for the spending that has gone on unchecked and for the indebtedness the United States has incurred.

Just a final lesson: the Constitution and the Founders put all spending--the appropriations, the funding of programs--and also the responsibility for raising taxes with this body, the House of Representatives. They did so because we are closest to the people. We get elected every 2 years. They chose to have the Republicans in the majority in order to control the spending that went out of control and the government programs that went out of control.

So that is what we are doing, what they sent us here to do; and we must do it in a responsible fashion. We are here. We were here before the shutdown. We have asked to negotiate. We will continue to do that. Our leaders are committed to doing that, to working in a responsible fashion. We have to get this right. We must pay the piper. The piper is calling our bills and our credit due, so let's join together and act responsibly.

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