Claremore Daily Progress

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  • Sen. Tom Coburn is critical of the latest attempts to raise the nation's debt limit without making an effort to reduce waste and costs.

    icoburn01web.jpg
January 26, 2012

Sen. Coburn criticizes latest efforts to raise debt limit

Staff Reports Claremore Progress

WASHINGTON D.C. — Efforts to raise the nation’s debt limit has been met with sharp criticism by Oklahoma’s junior Sen. Tom Coburn.

“Instead of fixing the problem, we made it worse. We increased the deficit, we funded ineffective programs, we wasted on silly projects, we funded duplication, we approved a trillion dollars in more spending for next year all of which essentially will be borrowed on the backs of our grandkids and our kids,” said  Coburn.

A highlight of his comments on the Senate floor include:

“A debt limit doesn't mean anything in this country. Every time we come up to the debt limit, we just pass it rather than do the things the American people have asked us to do. Little has changed in Washington in the last five years. We've argued, debated and lamented on how to rein in the federal government's costs and out-of-control spending. All the time that was going on, we were on a spending binge, spending money we do not have on things we do not need. Even though we knew we had to borrow more money, congress has done nothing to avoid raising the debt limit further. Nothing.”

“In February of last year GAO brought us this wonderful report. It showed thousands upon thousands of programs that are duplicationsof one another. The majority leader of this body voted against both attempts that I made to take advantage and eliminate waste and duplication. He never once instructed committee chairmen to go find this duplication, limit, to save our children, to save our country.”

“Of the thousands of things that we could have done, we did nothing to lower our deficit, cut the waste, or eliminate duplication. Wehave known about this significant hundred billion dollars, a gold mine of savings report, for over a year now, and wehave done nothing, zero. America should be disgusted with 
Congress because what we care about is party power, not fixing the problems of this country.”

“Wehave done nothing about the $5 billion in government benefits paid to people who earn more than a million dollars in year in this country. We could save moneybut we have done nothing. Everyday Americans understand thatthe way we get out of our problems is through sacrifice and prioritizing what is important for our country. We lack the leadership in this body to do that.”

“These times call for briefings to the American people, not speeches. It is time for members of Congress to stand together and to brief us on our unfunded liabilities and show us how sacrifice can lead to renewed prosperity. I'm embarrassed that we failed to meet the standard that we ask of the people who serve this country.”

“Shouldn't we come together as men and women, Americans, not Democrats and Republicans, and say weare going to do what we can to secure the future of this country and quit thinking about the next election? We ought to be doing what is needed. It's called making priorities.”

“I think [my colleagues] aretremendous individuals, but we have to change our visionfor this country. We better change what we have our eye set on. What we have our eye on now in terms of the risk to our country is the survival of our country and it's time we come together, put partisanship aside and say ‘we are going to solve the problems in front of this country.’ We can do it. The brainpower is here, the capability is here. Let's do it”

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State/Nation
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