Debt Ceiling Debate

Floor Speech

Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to start first of all by talking about the tenor of debate in this Chamber. Historically, we've had great debates in this Chamber. I think that the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, is an honorable man who cares deeply about this institution, and I think on both sides of the aisle we have very intelligent people who care passionately about their beliefs. We have a Nation that's in the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression. It prevails on us as Americans to come together and face the problems that our Nation is currently dealing with.

You heard Representative Chu mention it earlier. Ronald Reagan did so at that time with a Democratic Speaker, Tip O'Neill. He did so by appealing to both Chambers about the need to come together, facing the daunting reality of defaulting for the first time on the country's full faith and credit and the impact that that would have on the global economy, on the Nation's economy, but I daresay, more importantly, on one's household economy. From my perspective as a Member here and going back home and listening to our constituents, I think that's the most important thing, is their household economies that are hanging in the balance here.

Washington can oftentimes provide great theater and great back and forth, but we do not want this to become the theater of the absurd as our constituents look on in the pain and agony of being out of work and wondering whether or not their government is going to be there for them.

So I hope that we're able to pass a clean debt ceiling, as Ronald Reagan did 17 times, the same kind of thing that was afforded Bill Clinton and George W. Bush seven times most recently, so that we can get on with the concerns that we care deeply about: whether it's dealing with the national debt and dealing with the issues of spending and making cuts that will strategically grow the economy, or whether it's dealing with investing in the American people and making sure that revenues that come in do so to put America back to work, like the creation of an infrastructure bank funded
by the private and public sectors working together to create those much needed jobs, but essentially putting America back to work.

I recently received a letter from one of my constituents, and I think this sums up the feeling of America. I want to read her words because they tell the story of all too many Americans:

"I'm worried, afraid for myself and all in my situation, and saddened. If I still have not been hired to work in the next few weeks, I will lose the financial ability to live in a room or an apartment and will lose the parts of my life that literally had to be placed in storage, most notably my family photos of my deceased parents, of my children, due to the lack of income or savings to pay the rental fees. I have no one who will take me in or who can afford to do this.''

She went on to say, "How can you not agree that this is comparable to a natural disaster when individual lives are at stake and left as if to be swallowed by an abyss of dark uncertainty?''

These are the people of our country who we are sworn to serve. This debate is important on the floor. The debt ceiling could be lifted tomorrow, but the pain and agony of the American people are stated more eloquently by the people who are actually suffering, and when she says ``to be swallowed up by an abyss of dark uncertainty,'' that is a moral obligation for us. Rather than talking about staying here over the weekend to make sure we deal with the debt ceiling and all the machinations that are going on between the two Chambers, let's stay here till we put America back to work. That's what we should be doing: out-innovating, out-building and out-educating the rest of the world.

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