Cole Urges Support for Budget Control Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) made the following remarks in the House floor in support of the Budget Control Act of 2011:

"Mr. Speaker, this is the second time in this Congress has chosen, this house has chosen to raise the debt ceiling in a responsible and historic way. That is not only allowing the ceiling to go up but coupling it with real reductions in long-term spending that we all know need to occur. Now, so far the president and the other body have both failed to act. The Senate, just for the record, hasn't even passed a budget in two years, hasn't moved a piece of legislation in this crisis, frankly has done nothing.

"The president is now a born again deficit hawk. It's a false conversion. Let's just look at the record. He appointed a deficit reduction commission and then refused to adopt any of its recommendations. He sent this body and the other body a budget that was so flawed it failed 97-0 in a Democratic Senate. He asked for a clean vote on the debt ceiling in this body; he was given that vote and he got fewer than 100 of my friends on the other side to vote with him. He's talked about a plan but never presented a plan in public. Frankly, the president in this crisis has failed to lead, but we have not failed to act.

"I am proud of our speaker, I'm proud of our Conference, and I know I'm going to to be proud of the House at the end of the day because this house is going to do the right thing for the American people. We'll see if the Senate and president will follow suit."