Rules for Debate on Raising Federal Debt Limit on House Floor

... if they don't want to do it, then i guess we'll have to do the responsible thing on our own. i would again urge my colleagues to vote for the rule and at this point i would yield the remaining time to our distinguished majority leader, mr. hoyer. the speaker pro tempore: the majority leader is recognized. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman for yielding. the last time we voted on this issue the floor was packed on both sides of the aisle. and i observed at that time that -- and i repeat today, i really doubt that there are any of the 435 of us, madam speaker, who believe that this matter that is included in this rule ght to be defeated. i would hope that's the case. the gentleman who represents the minority party on the rules committee has confronted this issue in the past. he confronted it in 2002, he confronted it in 2003, he confronted it in 2004 and again in 2005. on each of those occasions he voted to increase the debt limit. his party was in charge. unfortunately my party voted against it at that point in time. because we weren't in charge. the point i make is that the american public too often believes that we do not do what we think is the responsible thing for our country but what think is the right thing to do from the perspective of our party. they're not impressed by that kind of action. in fact, not only did mr. sessis vote to increase the debt limit numerous occasions, many of us voted against it. essentially for the same reasons, because we said the other party had incurred liabilities with which we did not agree. . i'm sure we could all say that. but the fact of the matter is, america, voting through its representatives in the house and in the senate, incurred those liabilities. creditors throughout the world relied on the fact that the united states of america, the world's wealthiest nation, would in fact pay its bills. i will say that in the future when this issue comes up i will not repeat again the mistakes that iade in the past. i said that last time. if it so happens that some time in the future the other party is in control and we come to the necessaryity of ensuring that america could pay its bills, it will be my intention to vote with the majority party to increase the debt limit. not because i want to see us deficit spend, i don't. i voted for constitutional amendments to balance the budget, to constrain the spending of this body. in a few minutes i will speak strongly in favor of adopting statutory pay-go which is made in order by this rule. statutory pay-go will b a constraint on the spending this congress votes for. a straint to bring in line spending on mandatory items with the revenues and abilities that we have. so i say to both sides of the aisle, this is not a vote about party. this is a vote about country. there is no one in this room, no one who has raised their hand to defend and protect the constitution of the united states, not one of us who honestly can say that it is an alternative available to us to not ensure that america can pay its bills. that's what this is about. that's why my friends on the republican side when you were ...