Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) writes in National Review about the bill he introduced today in the House to actually lower the debt ceiling from $14.3 trillion to $13 trillion.
I’d be very surprised if this bill goes anywhere, but I like the way he’s thinking.
In the midst of our economic emergency, which is beginning to resemble a full-on Greece-style meltdown, every politician in America has taken to the soap box to say the exact same thing: We need to reduce our national debt and cut spending to get America back on track.
Unfortunately, Congress has produced all talk — and very, very little action.
You hear folks say “talk is cheap,” but in this case, Washington’s endless rhetoric is incredibly expensive. The inaction on spending cuts has kept us so deep in the red that our nation is facing a total collapse if we do not get back to a balanced budget as soon as possible.
Today, I introduced a unique bill that goes in a completely different direction than everything else we’ve been hearing out of Washington. It would force politicians to start practicing what they’ve been preaching by lowering the debt ceiling from $14.3 trillion back down to $13 trillion. Admittedly, this is not your run-of-the-mill kind of law, but it would make it imperative for Congress to think outside of the box and come up with ways to pay off a portion of our debt while drastically cutting back spending. Since 1996, the national debt has increased by an inexcusable $8.79 trillion. I firmly believe that this calls for emergency measures to reduce the debt.
—