Fitzpatrick: Our Kids... That's Why the Debt Matters

Press Release

Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8), armed with letters from local middle school students, addressed the House Financial Services Committee and expert witnesses Tuesday on the impact of the national debt's effect on the American economy, capital markets, and other areas of federal oversight.

The letters from 8th grade students at Newtown Middle School voiced their concerns about the impact of the $17 trillion in national debt will have on their generation and the importance of addressing the issue now.

"Mr. Chairman, these letters have all been received in my office since January this year -- and they're all about the national debt. The interesting thing about these letters is that every one of them was written by a teenager concerned about the national debt," said Fitzpatrick during his line of questioning to the witness. "I would ask each of you, if Alex were here or Tia were here, what would you say to them about the future of their country?"

"I would say "I think their letters are right on the money,' and I wish they would write to all the other teenagers in the country to do the same thing," said David Cote, CEO of Honeywell, in response. "They're absolutely right. They're the ones that are going to be the most affected by this."

Witnesses testifying at the hearing included: Dr. Alice Rivlin, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute; David Cote, CEO of Honeywell; Dr. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, President of the American Action Forum; and Dr. Jared Bernstein, Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

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