mr. levin: thank you. i now yield two minutes to my friend, a most distinguished member of the ways and means committee for a long time, mr. charles range of new yor the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york voiced for two minutes. mr. rangel: thank you, mr. speaker. while i stand on this floor as an american and a person that loves this congress so much and i'm embarrassed also as a member that a president of e united states would have his domestic and foreign policy actually held hostage because with him and only him and no other president have we decided that we would almost put in jeopardy the faith and fiscal responsibility of this country paying its dels debts. you know, a lot of people have said that we got to a $14.4 trillion debt because we got drunk and spent money like a drunken say lore. if that is so -- sailor. if that is so the people have in "the hgover" certainly aren't the wealthy people in this country. and this decision was decided without any consideration of the people tt are

mr. levin: thank you. i now yield two minutes to my friend, a most distinguished member of the ways and means committee for a long time, mr. charles range of new york. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york voiced for two minutes. mr. rangel: thank you, mr. speaker. while i stand on this floor as an american and a person that loves this congress so much and i'm embarrassed also as a member that a president of the united states would have his domestic and foreign policy actually held hostage because with him and only him and no other president have we decided that we would almost put in jeopardy the faith and fiscal responsibility of this country paying its dels debts. you know, a lot of people have said that we got to a $14.4 trillion debt because we got drunk and spent money like a drunken say lore. if that is so -- sailor. if that is so the people have in "the hangover" certainly aren't the wealthy people in this country. and this decision was decided without any consideration of the people

mr. levin: i understand that we are alternating. the presiding officer: that is correct. mr. levin: kweuld that after the senator from -- i would request that after the senator from kentucky, who is here to speak -- in that case, i believe i was here on the floor before the senator from kentucky, so i will proceed. madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. levin: madam president, to say that the legislation before us is not ideal is truly an understatement. the notion that our deficit problem can be solved solely by cutting spending flies in the face of our experience when in fact unwise tax cuts for the wealthy and egregious tax loopholes are significant culprits in our fiscal crisis. i believe too many republicans are influenced by an ideology so extreme that it promised to wreak economic havoc if it did not get their way. no additional revenues became the battle cry, an approach that prevents the balanced deficit reduction that the american people rightly support

mr. levin: thank you. i now yield two minutes to my friend, a most distinguished member of the ways and means committee for a long time, mr. charles range of new york. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york voiced for two minutes. mr. rangel: thank you, mr. speaker. while i stand on this floor as an american and a person that loves this congress so much and i'm embarrassed also as a member that a president of the united states would have his domestic and foreign policy actually held hostage because with him and only him and no other president have we decided that we would almost put in jeopardy the faith and fiscal responsibility of this country paying its dels debts. you know, a lot of people have said that we got to a $14.4 trillion debt because we got drunk and spent money like a drunken say lore. if that is so -- sailor. if that is so the people have in "the hangover" certainly aren't the wealthy people in this country. and this decision was decided without any consideration of the people

mr. levin: mr. camp, i think it takes unanimous consent to do that. i'm sorry, mr. camp. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman from michigan. mr. camp: thank you, mr. speaker. as a member of the national commission on fiscal responsibility, our debt commission, we received testimony from experts in economic policy research. and they said that when debt loads of a country reach above or at 90% of their economy or g.d.p. that results in the reduction in economic growth in that country by about one percentage point. and using the administration's economic model, that one percentage point increase in our g.d.p. or decrease in our g.d.p. costs about one million jobs. that's why this debate is so important. it is so important to get us on a path to fiscal responsibility. to begin to bring down our national debt. the plan before us today does that. it does that with spending reductions. it does it with the sort of structural reforms in terms of spending caps that are there. it also does it with an automatic reduction in spending. if for some reaso

camp from michigan, and ranking minority member mr. levin from michigan. the gentleman from michigan. mr. camp: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. camp: mr. speaker, if the congress does not act and act now, america will default and that would wreak havoc on our economy and make it harder for americans to find and keep a job in an already weak economy. default cannot be an option and i am pleased that the bill before us ensures that will not occur. ealth of this just as the fault would have threatened the health of this country so would increase in taxes. raising tinacrxetasxe os.n famid job creators and hinder investments increase the cost o ofing business and result incre even less hiring of and fewer jobs. that's the wrong d we are struggling with anng wit unemployment rate of 9.2% and 14 million americans looking for work.rk. the good news is the legislatioz before us recognizes these basic facts it avoids the default and the government pays our bills and does not

mr. levin: i understand that we are alternating. the presiding officer: that is correct. mr. levin: kweuld that after the senator from -- i would request that after the senator from kentucky, who is here to speak -- in that case, i believe i was here on the floor before the senator from kentucky, so i will proceed. madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. levin: madam president, to say that the legislation before us is not ideal is truly an understatement. the notion that our deficit problem can be solved solely by cutting spending flies in the face of our experience when in fact unwise tax cuts for the wealthy and egregious tax loopholes are significant culprits in our fiscal crisis. i believe too many republicans are influenced by an ideology so extreme that it promised to wreak economic havoc if it did not get their way. no additional revenues became the battle cry, an approach that prevents the balanced deficit reduction that the american people rightly support

mr. levin: continuing the colloquy on this side of the aisle -- and we would give up the floor -- mr. mccain: -- [inaudible] i used the time rather than have to listen to this. mr. president? how much time is remaining? the presiding officer: does the senator withdraw or withhold the quorum call? mr. mccain: i suggest the -- suspend further proceedings under the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mccain: mr. president, how much time is remaining? the presiding officer: the minority has 14 minutes. mr. mccain: 14 minutes. i'll tell you what, i'll be glad to engage in a short colloquy with the senator from illinois if he would like. the senator from illinois, i believe that we are close to an agreement here? mr. durbin: i hope so. mr. mccain: does the senator from illinois agree that most likely that agreement will not have an increase in taxes associated with it, at least in the short term? mr. durbin: i hope is not. mr. mccain: you hope so. mr. durbin: i heard there is r

mr. chairman. >> thank you very much senator mccain. general dempsey. >> chairman levin, senator mccain, distinguished members of the senate armed services committee, i'm honored by the opportunity to appear before you today in support of my nomination as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. i want to thank the president and both secretaries that is gates and panetta for their confidence in me. i want to compliment admiral mike mullen for his remarkable service over more than four decades as he nears the end of a distinguished career. i would as well like to add my condolences to the family of general john shalikashvili. she was an accomplished sol jerp and a great american. as always when something important is happening in my life i'm joined by my wife. i met her 41 years ago and she's been my wife for over 35 of those years. i've asked a lot of her and she's always given more than i've asked. we have three wonderful children, three near perfect grandchildren and three for on the way. we're blessed to have several brigades of men and women in uniform with whom we've

mr. president, to henry county. my name is luanne levine (ph), and i own a local real estate company here in henry county, over in geneseo. so you know we're i'm headed: housing. every week i sit around the kitchen table of families that are here today and i listen to the stories of a lost job, upside down in their house. and they ask, luanne, how can you help? what programs are out there? i have to say i saw a turnaround come may and june. my phone was ringing. i was busier than all get-out. i could see that the country -- yes, we are in rehab. people have made adjustments and i saw progress. since the debt ceiling fiasco in washington, the phones have stopped. we have no consumer confidence after what has just happened. interest rates are a record low. i should be out working 14 hours a day, and i am not. what are your future plans in helping middle-class america -- generation x and y and middle- class america will get the country out of where we are, and i want to know what are your contingent plans? >> well, first of all, you're absolut

levine and maroon 5 out on the plaza. guys, give it up for them. out on the plaza on a friday morning, great crowd, great music, great weather. mr.se we're worried about what the state of the economy is and where is it going. we'll have that for you coming up. >> of course, a time to take a lot out of you but also takes a lot out of you is not getting enough sleep. have you ever had that feeling you've got ven eight hours of sleep and you're still exhausted? we're going to look at the medical reasons behind that and, get this, women apparently complain four times more than men about being exhausted. i wonder why. >> exhausted by men. >> i wonder why. >> and, you know, comfort food. we all sometimes turn to it for different reasons. what is really driving you to indulge, why do you crave certain kinds of food? and we're going to try to help you get it more under control. i always like to say if loving mac and cheese is wrong, i don't want to be right. >>> let's go inside. natalie is at the news desk. >> there is a bright spot today after a week of dismal economic news. hiring picked up last month with workers hiring $117,000 jobs