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I rise to support the Ryan budget. I do so with a great deal of pride. It's the only serious plan either party has put forward that deals with the looming debt crisis we face. It cuts $5.3 trillion dollars over the next decade. It reforms Medicare and Medicaid -- something everybody in this House knows needs to happen. It lays out the blueprint for tax reform.

It's the most predictable economic crisis in history. Driven by four consecutive years of trillion-dollar-plus deficits, the nation's publicly held debt is projected to reach 73 percent of the economy this year. Funding for Medicare, Social Security and portions of Medicaid consume 43 percent of federal spending and will rise to 54 percent in 10 years.

Throughout the months of debate and public protest leading up to the 2010 passage of President Obama's health care bill, the White House repeatedly attempted to assure the American people that the government health care takeover wouldn't be all that intrusive.

I was fortunate to get to meet recently with members of the Norman Chamber of Commerce during their annual trip to Washington. The Capitol's commonsense quotient automatically jumped a few points with so many Oklahomans on the premises, but that's not the only benefit of their visit.