Debt Ceiling Crisis

Floor Speech

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Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the extreme MAGA Republican effort to default on our debt, crash the economy, and trigger a job-killing recession.

From the very beginning of this Congress, House Democrats have been focused on putting people over politics. Lower costs, better-paying jobs, safer communities, fighting for reproductive freedom, defending democracy, ensuring an economy that works for everyday Americans-- people over politics.

We have made clear from the very beginning that we are willing to find common ground with the other side of the aisle for the good of the American people whenever and wherever possible. We have also made clear that we will fight extremism whenever necessary.

So, we are here on the floor today because this default crisis is before the American people as a result of extreme MAGA Republicans making the political calculation that they will benefit in 2024 if they crash the economy, if America defaults, if we fail to pay our bills, if millions of people are made to suffer--not our words. Those are the words of former President Donald Trump, the words of the chairman of the Republican National Committee, the words of extreme MAGA Republicans at the very far right of their Conference.

It is a political calculation that we are going to take hostages, the American people and the economy, and threaten to crash the economy, to hurt these hostages, if necessary, or extract painful cuts--painful cuts to our veterans; to disabled children on Medicaid; to people who rely on nutrition assistance, including our veterans; to children; to teachers; to public safety; and, of course, to our military families.

These are the stakes that are before the American people. That is why House Democrats are here on the floor fighting.

How we know that the other side of the aisle has made the determination that they are willing to default on our debt to crash the economy is because this default crisis is before the American people. On June 1, America may run out of the ability to pay our bills, and extreme MAGA Republicans have chosen to get out of town before sundown, to flee Washington, D.C., to risk a dangerous default in a crisis that they have created.

These Republicans are going to say that Joe Biden refused to sit down with them. That is a fake narrative that they have continued to try to put into the public domain. They said that President Biden refused to talk for 97 days, a fake, false, fraudulent narrative.

How do we know? The timeline is pretty clear.

On February 1, President Biden sat down with the Speaker of the House. They had a conversation in the Oval Office. President Biden said that we will produce our budget on March 9 so that the American people know our values, know the types of investments that should be made for their health, their safety, and their economic well-being, and challenged the extreme MAGA Republicans to do the same thing.

On March 9, President Biden produced his budget, a budget that will strengthen and protect Social Security, a budget that will build an economy from the middle out and the ground up, a budget that will cut the deficit by an additional $3 trillion on top of the $1.7 trillion that has already been cut by the Biden administration over the last 2 years.

Then, we waited for Republicans to produce their budget.

Early March, no budget.

Mid-March, no budget.

Late March, no budget.

Early April, no Republican budget.

Mid-April, no Republican budget.

Then, on April 25, they didn't produce a budget, but they produced the default on America act--not a budget, a ransom note, threatening to hurt the well-being of the American people with draconian cuts.

They introduced it on April 25. On April 26, they voted on it, and they passed it simply because George Santos, a serial fraudster, provided the deciding vote.

This is who they are.

Then, on April 27, they got out of town. Some of them were overseas for 10 days, and then as soon as they got into town, Tuesday, May 9, President Biden, on the first opportunity he had, reconvened all of us in the Oval Office.

Mr. Speaker, that is the timeline.

From the very beginning, Democrats have been willing to do two things: one, that America must pay our bills--period, full stop--in a manner consistent with what has been done under Democratic Presidents and Republican Presidents, including by House Democrats making sure we avoided a default three times under the previous administration, notwithstanding the fact we had strong policy disagreements. What Republicans were doing at the time included passing the 2017 GOP tax scam, where 83 percent of the benefits went to the wealthiest 1 percent, sticking us with an additional $2 trillion worth of debt. Why? To subsidize the lifestyles of the wealthy, the well off, and the well connected.

We had strong policy disagreements about what was going on in the Trump administration, but we never threatened to default on our debt. That is the patriotic thing to do.

We helped make sure we avoided a default three times, notwithstanding the fact that, in our country's 247-year history, 25 percent of the Nation's debt was racked up under the 4 years of the Trump administration.

How dare Republicans lecture America about fiscal responsibility with that shameful record. Notwithstanding the fact that Republicans have racked up unprecedented amounts of debt to subsidize the rich, the richest amongst us, and big corporations, we never threatened a default.

Yet, here we are, a few days from America being unable to pay our bills because you have made a political calculation that you will be successful in 2024 if you crash the economy.

That is wrong. That is cruel. That is un-American.

Republicans will be hurting veterans, hurting children, hurting seniors, hurting young people, hurting everyday Americans.

That is why Democrats are here today in Washington, fighting hard against this unreasonable, manufactured default crisis. This is a default crisis that is manufactured MAGA madness.

It is repugnant, reckless, and reprehensible.

It is unacceptable, unconscionable, and it is un-American.

That is why House Democrats have remained on the House floor fighting hard for everyday Americans. That is why we are here and will continue to fight for working families; continue to fight for middle-class folks; continue to fight for all those who aspire to be part of the middle class; continue to fight for young people; continue to fight for older Americans; continue to fight for veterans; continue to fight for military families; continue to fight for people in urban America, rural America, suburban America, small-town America, and the heartland of America; continue to fight for the people in Appalachia; continue to fight for the poor, the sick, and the afflicted; continue to fight for the least, the lost, and the left behind.

House Democrats will continue to fight for everyday Americans to avoid a default, and we will not rest until victory is won.

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