i want to thank my colleague from illinois, mr. dold, for introducing this legislation to end a failed federal program, the f.h.a. refinance program. this amendment ensures that the savings realized from ending this program goes directly to debt reduction. last month, mr. chairman, this chamber began a process of examining the federal budget line by line asking tough questions and making tough decisions on federal spending. while work was substantial, it is also continuing. in order to encourage economic growth and job creation, the federal debt is and must remain public enemy number one. over the past two years, federal discretionary spending has increased by 24%. the rate of growth is simply unsustainable. despite the record pace of new spending over the last two years, that spending continues today. and just this week, mr. chairman, we learned that the federal deficit for the month of february, 2011, was the highest ever and exceeded the deficit for the entire fiscal year 2007, $233 billion, mr. chairman, the biggest monthly deficit