[unintelligible] >> you have 80% of the american people who support a balanced approach. 80% of the american people support an approach that includes revenues and cut its. the notion that somehow the american people are not sold is not the problem. the problem is, members of congress are divided ideologically into various positions because they boxed themselves then with previous statements. this is not a matter of the american people knowing what the right thing to do is. this is a matter congress doing the right thing and reflecting the will of the american people. if we do that, we will have solved this problem. >> i wanted to ask about the two trains that seem to be rolling down the track down the hill. later mcconnell has laid out an elaborate plan to raise the debt limit. he says it will be paired with the new committee that would be tasked with coming up with the big solution you talked about by the end of the year. your comment on that proposal. meanwhile in the house, you are saying we can be flexible in our demands of we could get a balanced amendment. is there any way that could b

[unintelligible] >> you have 80% of the american people who support a balanced approach. 80% of the american people support an approach that includes revenues and cuts. the notion that somehow the american people are not sold is not the problem. the problem is, members of congress are divided ideologically into various positions because they boxed themselves then with previous statements. this is not a matter of the american people knowing what the right thing to do is. this is a matter congress doing the right thing and reflecting the will of the american people. if we do that, we will have solved this problem. lori montgomery. >> i wanted to ask about the two trains that seem to be rolling down the track down the hill. leader mcconnell has laid out an elaborate plan to raise the debt limit. he says it will be paired with the new committee that would be tasked with coming up with the big solution you talked about by the end of the year. your comment on that proposal. meanwhile in the house, you are saying we can be flexible in our demands of we could get a balanced amendment. is there any w

oh, by the way, the president asked the american people to engage tonight. are reports of republicans saying that the house servers, they're crashing. congressional websites are crashing tonight, they're getting hit so hard by the american people. i thought tonight was a great night for america. isn't every night? i mean, i love the debate. in fact, i think round two should be president obama and speaker boehner going at it on live tv. hell, let's just negotiate out in public. joining me tonight is former labor secretary, robert reich, also professor of public policy and author of "aftershock: the next economy and america's future." i hope we have a future. they can't decide anything in washington. mr. reich, good to have you with us tonight. >> well, good evening. >> you know, both of these plans, if you take that kind of money out of the economy, what's the effect going to be, in your opinion? >> if you take the money out of the economy, there is less money for people to spend and that means fewer jobs. i mean, one thing that is not being said, there is a b

the american people are sold. the american people are sold. peat this. >> yet republicans show support on it. republican senators signed on -- >> chuck, chuck, you have 80% of the american people who support a balanced approach. 80% of the american people support an approach that includes revenues and it includes cuts. so the notion that somehow the american people aren't sold is not the problem. the problem is members of congress are dug in ideological ideologically into various positions because they boxed themselves in with previous statements. and you know so this is not a matter of the american people knowing what the right thing to do is. this is a matter of congress doing the right thing and reflecting the will of the american people and if we do that, we will have solved this problem. lori montgomery. >> thank you, mr. president. i wanted to ask you about the two trains that seem to be rolling down the tracks on the hill. specifically, leader mcconnell has laid out an elaborate plan to raise the debt limit. he said last night that it lo

he asked the american people to engage. tegy, and the websites are crashing in washington right now on the congressional websites. who wins tonight? >> well, you know, he wins optics, because he looks like he's willing to compromise. but i guess, you know, i'm going to be a little bit of a problem here, ed, but you know, for him to say that the american people are most fed up with the failure to compromise, i think is really missing the point. you know, that's what -- david brooks is really fed up with the inability to compromise. poor people and people who have lost their jobs, that's not the number one thing they're fed up with. people who have lost their houses, that's not the number one thing they're fed up with. so i think the president continues to frame it in a very republicanç way and i'm not su he's winning. you know, he's going to call a deal if we don't have a default. he's going to say he won, but a lot of people are going to lose if we get the reid plan. >> the president tonight said he would embrace the reid p

and he turns to the american people and says, what? he says that the president is hard to deal with? get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think. tonight's question. is john boehner being honest with the american people? text "a" for yes, and "b" for no to 622639. you can always go to my blog for all kinds of commentary. i'll bring you the results later on in the program. congressman john garamendi from california joins us tonight. john, great to have you with us. at this hour, mr. boehner is crafting yet another bill with deeper cuts. where does this stand for the republicans? and one other point that i find very interesting is that they are making the rounds to conservative media, trying to gin up support to get enough of these tea partyers on board. they're going to hannity, they're going to limbaugh, they're going to some conservative magazines and whatnot. what does this say about where they are right now? >> i think they're in tremendous disarray. you just saw michele bachmann saying no way would she ever vote for a ch

the american people got to say, what is wrong with you all? so what -- what we have to do is we have to evaluate the effectiveness of every program in the federal government. we have to limit the overhead costs of federal programs. we've put ideas out there. this is $9 trillion worth of cuts. not washington cuts, american cuts, money you're not going to spend that's less than what we're spending today, not money you're not going to spend that you would have spent more the next year. this is real cuts. each one of these is in here backed up by the facts, not biased. you could disagree with where you would make the cuts but you can't disagree with the facts in here, because all the facts come from the congressional research service, the general accounting office, the office of management and budget, the president's budget in terms of his recommendations and why, and the c.b.o. we won't go there. my problem with the senate is we won't do our work. and we're as guilty. i don't -- this is not partisan to me. our country's future is at sta stake. and

speaker, the american people are way ahead of the politicians. they have been telling us over and over again we want a balance approach to reducing our deficits. one in five americans has said very clearly, we support the republican slash and burn default plan that we see before us that only cuts services to americans to try to help us balance our budget. but nearly three times as many americans have been saying over and over again, we want to see a balanced approach between those cuts to very important services, a little bit of pain, but also tax increases on all those folks who have been taking advantage of those tax loopholes and making a ton of money. the american people don't think it's a good idea to cut medicare and social security and to cut medicaid, to protect tax loopholes for special interests. they've been seeing that over and over. but here's the biggest clue that our republican colleagues aren't listening to. the american people have said over and over that the biggest deficit our country faces today is a jobs deficit. after 204 day

speaker, the american people are way ahead of the politicians. they have been telling us over and over again we want a balance approach to reducing our deficits. one in five americans has said very clearly, we support the republican slash and burn default plan that we see before us that only cuts services to americans to try to help us balance our budget. but nearly three times as many americans have been saying over and over again, we want to see a balanced approach between those cuts to very important services, a little bit of pain, but also tax increases on all those folks who have been taking advantage of those tax loopholes and making a ton of money. the american people don't think it's a good idea to cut medicare and social security and to cut medicaid, to protect tax loopholes for special interests. they've been seeing that over and over. but here's the biggest clue that our republican colleagues aren't listening to. the american people have said over and over that the biggest deficit our country faces today is a jobs deficit. after 204 day

speaker, the american people are way ahead of the politicians. they have been telling us over and over again we want a balance approach to reducing our deficits. one in five americans has said very clearly, we support the republican slash and burn default plan that we see before us that only cuts services to americans to try to help us balance our budget. but nearly three times as many americans have been saying over and over again, we want to see a balanced approach between those cuts to very important services, a little bit of pain, but also tax increases on all those folks who have beetaking advantage of those tax loopholes and making a ton of money. the american people don't think it's a good idea to cut medicare and social security and cut mediid, to protect tax loopholes for special interests. they've been seeing that over and over. but here's the biggest clue that r republican colleagues aren't listening to. the american people have said over and over that the biggest deficit our country faces today is a jobs deficit. after 204 ys as the ma

the american people definitely don't want 5. the american people have clearly said that they want compromise. they want an honest effort to meet in the middle. sue from falcon heights is one of them. leader reid has responded to the pleas of the american people by offering us a sensible compromise. i urge my colleagues to be statesmen for the sake of the country. please, come to the table. we are trying to work with you. for the sake of the country, the clock is ticking. thank you, mr.ught out in the debate. when washington says it's going to cut spending, it's untruthful with the american public. because both the boehner bill and the reid bill increase discretionary spending over the next 10 years by one of them $830 billion and the other $832 billion. how is it that we can with a straight face in this body talk about a cut when in fact we're going to -- and c.b.o. says we're going to actually increase the spending in the discretionary accounts over the next 10 years nearly a trillion dollars. and you've heard the debate in the

i have great faith in the american people. it was average people who built this country, who built this economy, and i think it is those of us who want to see less government interference in our lives who really have faith in the american people, who believe in them, and want to see them use their talent and skills and their god-given ability to continue to make the country a great country. i think getting the government off their backs and allowing them to use their talents is the best way to do it. i think there is a great difference in philosophy in washington. we are being told all the time we need to compromise and get along. this is a hugely different philosophy toward the american people. we have a strong belief in the american people and their ability to take care of themselves. we do not think the government or the unions need to step in to look after them. i would support this role and who are my colleaguees pushing the legislation. thank you very much. >> i thank you and ms. slaughter for letting me introduce my frie

the american people expect action. i continue to believe that a package that is balanced and actually has serious debt and deficit reduction is the right way to go. the american people, i think, are fed up with political posturing and an inability for politicians to take responsible action as opposed to dodge their responsibilities. and with that, i'm going to take some questions. >> you said you want the leader of south carolina to give an answer about the path forward. >> with respect to my relationship with speaker boehner, we have always had a cordial relationship. we had very intense negotiations. i'm going to have my team review exactly on how these negotiations proceeded. up until sometime early today when i could not get a phone call returned, my expectation was that speaker boehner was going to be willing to go to his caucus and ask them to do the tough thing but the right thing. i think it has proven difficult for speaker boehner to do that. i have been left at the altar now a couple of times. i think that one

are the american people wrong? >> the american people i've learned are never wrong.practiced medicine for 25 years as an orthopedic surgeon in wyoming. they want care they need from a doctor they want at a cost they can afford. medicare has been a wonderful successful program. when they started in 1965, people then were live to 69, women to 70. because of the advances in modern medicine, women are living into their early 80s. men to late 70s. there's a huge challenge. the baby boomers who were teenagers when they formed medicare are now at 10,000 a day coming on to the medicare rolls. we need to strengthen medicare everyone the wakeup call was recently when the folks at medicare said we are going to be bankrupt five years sooner than we thought. 13 years from now. the truth of the matter is, we have to save and strengthen medicare. not jut for the people who are on it now, but also for the next generation so it is there for them. >> what do you think? you guys agree ? >> yes. >> the thin we hear most is waste, fraud and abuse. we never see anyone get fired or go to j

demonstrated, time and again, that if he is allowed even a portion of his agenda to be enacted, the american people are seeing that this is a president that is willing to stay in your -- in the room. trying to get done what is in the best interest of the american people. he has done so by dealing with the right in his own party, as well. >> his toughest opponent? >> michele bachmann? >> really? why [laughter] ? -- really? why? [laughter] [laughter] >> i do not know who his toughest opponent will be. actually, i think she has done surprisingly well, although maybe not that surprising given her populist appeal. as the irish say, "it is a long wat -- way to tiperary." i wish her good luck and good fortune. i think anyone will have a difficult time defeating president obama. >> rep john larson, thank you for your time on "newsmakers." >> happy to be here. >> your pens really started to fly at the end when you started talking about the consumer price index and payroll tax increases. what does that say about the current discussion over the debt and fiscal matters? >> up until now we have not seen concret

he always claims to have the pulse of the american people. >> what the american people want is for us to work together. >> the american people want us to cut spending. >> the american people want us to get our fiscal house in order. >> the american people want us to focus on cutting spending and growing our economy. >> boehner has no clue what the american people want. he doesn't even know what the people in his own caucus want. it's easy for the speaker to act tough on conservative radio. he toned it down a bit, when he faced a real interview on nbc "nightly news." >> is it fair to say you have a bit of a rebellion on your hands? >> i have a bit of a rebellion on my hands every day. >> you're not worried? >> never let 'em see you sweat. >> really? even on the golf course? boehner doesn't have to worry about keeping his job, he has a huge government pension and lifetime health care. this debt fight is ideological for those in washington, but it's serious for those who live on fixed incomes. the dow has fallen four straight days, maybe that will get their attention. the dow is headed f

the american people deserve better. let me say if senator mcconnell would give the proposal, the one includes major elements by senator mcconnell, but no, they insist on filibuster. he said 60 votes had become routine, routine because filibusters had become routine on the republican side of the aisle. we're going to fight this filibuster, and i hope in the end some republicans will cross over and join us and break the stalemate and come up with a bipartisan agreement. >> chuck? >> well, thank you. you know, this morning at 10:00 a.m. on the floor of the senate, leader reed asked senator mcconnell to come negotiate. the door was open all day. nobody knocked. nobody walked in. and some said, well, speaker mcconnell wanted to wait until the house disposed of boehner. but after the boehner amendment was defeat ed, in a television conversation i was sitting there, senator mcconnell still refused to negotiate. we will not solve this problem by standing there and folding our arms and saying "i am not talking to anybody." and th

people don't know the president is reading a poll tested phrase. hang on, the poll is cut, cap and balance has the support of 64% of the american people. he balanced budget amendment, 75% of the american people that is a significant percentage. he's losing the argument and i think losing power everyday. >> it is huge. obviously you are right about that. when you ask people do you want only spending cuts even if those cuts don't touch medicare and social security? or spending cuts tax increases only on people making $250,000, 55-40 to the president's approach. that's why he is pushing what he is pushing today. >> sean: class warfare. >> he's not going to run against john boehner for president. he's going to run romney auerbach man or one of those folks and he's not going to have -- so we the economy tanks and continues to tank he's going to be in terrible shape. winning this argument in the sense that he's trying to do, is a very minor game. and in the main the republican party is cleaning his clock. the republican party is getting 2 1/2 billion of cuts after he tried to get by with no cuts. >> sean: there is a problem. i spoke to john b

speaker, the american people are way ahead of the politicians. they have been telling us over and over again we want a balance approach to reducing our deficits. one in five americans has said very clearly, we support the republican slash and burn default plan that we see before us that only cuts services to americans to try to help us balance our budget. but nearly three times as many americans have been saying over and over again, we want to see a balanced approach between those cuts to very important services, a little bit of pain, but also tax increases on all those folks who have been taking advantage of those tax loopholes and making a ton of money. the american people don't think it's a good idea to cut medicare and social security and to cut medicaid, to protect tax loopholes for special interests. they've been seeing that over and over. but here's the biggest clue that our republican colleagues aren't listening to. the american people have said over and over that the biggest deficit our country faces today is a jobs deficit. after 204 day

i think the american people just heard a new definition of compromise. paying your bills is a compromise. the american family can't wake up one morning and say, boy, it's a compromise and pay for what i already incurred. it's a compromise to pay my mortgage. that's a new one for the american people. and it's part of a reckless pattern that we have seen emerging here. furs our republican colleagues walked out of the biden talks. then twice they walked out of the talks of the president of the united states. then when the republican leader in the senate put forward a proposal, they ridiculed it. thursday night in this very house they said no to the proposal by the republican speaker of this house until he amended it. the same speaker who said we need to have an adult moment. here's the concluding paragraph of today's "wall street journal." republicans are not looking like adults to whom we can entrust the government. the american people are looking for that adult moment. if you're not willing to compromise on critical things for the country, you are not fit

the american people deserve better. if senator mcconnell would give us the same vote standard in the senate that was given to boehner in the house we could pass the a proposal. no, they insist on a filibuster. he said 60 votes had become routine. routine because filibusters have become routine on the republican side of the aisle. it isn't what is necessary to enact this law that is so critical to the future of america. we are going to fight this filibuster and i hope in the end some republicans will cross over and join us and break this stalemate and come up with a bipartisan agreement. >> well, thank you. and, you know, this morning at 10:00 a.m. on the floor of the senate leader reid asked senator mcconnell to come negotiate. the door was open all day. nobody knocked, nobody walked in. and some said well, speaker mcconnell wanted to wait until the house disposed of boehner. but after the boehner amendment was defeated, in a telephone conversation with leader reid i was sitting there, senator mcconnell still refused to

and this is confusing to the american people. i'm really convinced that the only way we can honestly compare the plans is to go back to the basic -- the way families do. do you increase your spending or you don't increase your spending based on what you spent last year. and we have a flat level and how much do you increase it over one year, two years, ten years? how much does it go up? that would be the way to do it, and then you can compare plans. then you can see what senator boehner has, congressman ryan had in his budget plan for ten years, senator toomey proposed a very thoughtful ten-year budget plan, balanced our budget in ten years, not easy toad to do. he did it. we need for thinking like that. and get away from this confusing mishmash and claim that i'm saving $1 trillion when nobody plans for us to be spenting $150 $150-plus billion on the war in iraq and afghanistan for the next ten years. that money has never been projected to be spent in that fashion. so, mr. president, we are in a situation where it's important for

the american people know about this. that's why 50-something percent of the american people support the balanced, bipartisan approach that the president says we should strive to achieve and only about 19% of the american people support the proposal that is put forth by the republicans. this house should reject that. we should come together, use the work that has been done already to do something that will remove all doubt that we pay our bills, to remove all doubt that we are a strong economy that recognizes the role we play in the global economy, but also recognizes that all of this has an impact in the lives of everyday americans as they sit around their kitchen table, thinking about what will they do if credit goes -- the cost of credit goes up and that means there are credit card bills, house payment, car payment, the rest are more expensive to them. this is very costly in terms of confidence and in terms of making ends meet. let's be responsible. reject this bill, get back to work so that on tuesday, we will have met

understand that tax hikes destroy jobs. >> i think what the american people appreciate is that you don't reinvigorate the economy by raising taxes. >> 80% of the american people do not want to see taxes raised. >> the president's answer? let's raise taxes on job creators. mr. president, the american people don't want that. >> the american people don't want us to raise taxes. >> now, you can agree or disagree with the premise that taxes ought to be lower and government smaller. that's not what we're talking about. keeping them honest, when republicans say they are pushing for a budget deal containing no tax increases because that's what most americans want, according to every poll we have found that is simply not true. new polling out today from quinnipiac skrts voters if they support a budget deal with budget cuts only or mix or budget cuts and taxes on the wealthy and corporations. 25% said budget cuts only. 48% of republicans, not even a that joert, favor the cuts only approach. in the recent gallup poll, 26% of republicans favored lowing the debt with budget cuts alone. and

the wealthiest people in our country. we are not going to balance the budget on the backs of american seniors, women and people with disabilities. >> and that is exactly what the polls are saying. independent senator bernie sanders spoke with me earlier today on our radio show. he's not happy about this, and after the radio interview, sanders went to the senate floor to deliver this very clear message to the president. >> when president obama ran for the presidency in 2008, he was a strong advocate of social security. made it very clear to the american people that he was not going to cut benefits. the american people expect the president of the united states to keep his word. >> sanders is spot on. senator obama made this promise when he was criticizing john mccain back in september of 2008. >> but john mccain's campaign has gone even further, suggesting that the best answer for the growing pressures on social security might be the cost of living adjustments or raise the retirement age. now, let me be clear. i will not do either. >> don't you think that the democrats and liberals across this country need to hear the president s

the time for comprimise on behalf of the american people is now. good morning. >> by now most americans know lawmakers are engaged in a difficult debate the debt ceiling is currently set at a little more than $14 trillion. the congress and president don't reach an agreement by this coming tuesday, the treasury secretary tells us we'll no longer be able to pay all its bills. the consequences of miss thissing deadline could be severe because washington barrows so much money spending would have to slink by 40% quickly. markets would likely respond we have tried to work with democrats we need them to work with us. the reason spending is a problem is because of run away spending. without making the spending reductions would be irresponsible. with the crisis rolling across europe, we know it's only a matter of time before america can sustain its huge and growing debt. if we don't do something now, the scenes we've seen playing all across europe could happen in america. if we don't change the way washington operates, we'll not get control of our government

let's find solutions that work for the american people. there is a chart here that so many people have seen, mr. speaker, but if you look at, this is a chart that shows and shows our debt to the size of our economy. our debt is 100% of the size of our economy, but we were at war, world war ii. that went down, look to our future. this is a sea of red, a sea of debt that we are going to leave to our next generation. our economy will collapse well before we get to the crest of that wave. but that is our future, make no mistake, unless we change course. let's change course. i think it's important to note, where does this debt come from? who is financing this debt, because in world war ii, american citizens bought war bonds paying for this debt. not today. because in 1970, 5% of the foreign debt -- 5% of our debt was held by foreign entities and in 1990, 19% of our debt was hled by foreign entities and today, 47% of our debt is held by foreign entities. and i would ask the speaker to guess what country owns the largest share of that foreign debt

we must go forward the way the american people want us to do. bipartisan, balanced and with an eye to job creation. reject what is on the floor now and support the american people. we owe it to honor the sacrifice of our founders, the vision of our founders, the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, the aspiration of our children and their families. this budget should be a statement of values that honors all of that. and if we are to honor that we must reject what is being proposed here today. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentlelady has expired. the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: mr. speaker, i'd ask my friend if she has any other speakers. ms. slaughter: no, i am prepared to close if mr. dreier is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york. ms. slaughter: thank you, mr. speaker. i think the consequence of this bill are so dire and in circumstances, this constitutional amendment are so far reaching and damaging that i implore everybody in the house of representati

you wrote it. >> the american people -- >> the american people didn't write it.y poll, republicans are running 21% in approval because of this stand-fast position you've asserted and prescribe ford them, by the way. be honest. you digs noticed the problem, high taxes and gave your prescription. no new taxes and got 41 guys to go along with it. by the way, what do you do with the ones that don't go along with it? let them go, give them a kiss? no. you go after them and go after them. >> we highlight -- >> this is bad policy. lugar and grassley, real conservatives who don't believe in your approach. what do you do to them? >> they've staked out an opposition to any tax increase. >> not with you. >> not taken the pledge. she haven't signed the pledge. lugar says he hasn't because he wants to go to a retail sales tax and i hope some day we'll be able to explain you can move to a retail sales tax. it doesn't violate the pledge. >> we're in a really, a, looks to me, like a real conflict between you and me on this, because i think we need to deal with this debt ceiling

the american people deserve better. let me say one last thing -- if senator mcconnell would give us the same vote standard in the senate that was given to speaker boehner in the house, we could pass senator reid's proposal, a proposal which includes major elements suggested by senator mcconnell. but, no, they insist on a filibuster. he said 60 votes had become routine. routine because filibusters have become routine. on the republican side of the aisle. it isn't what's necessary to enact this law that's so critical to the future of america. we're going to fight this filibuster and i hope in the end some republicans will cross over and join us and break this stalemate and come up with a bipartisan agreement. >> well, thank you. you know this morning at 10:00 a.m. in the floor of the senate leader reid and senator mcconnell to come negotiate. the door was open all day. nobody knocked. nobody walked in. some said, well, speaker mcconnell wanted to wait until the house disposed of boehner. but after the boehner amendment was

listen. >> you have 80% of the american people who support a balanced approach. 80% of the american people that includes revenues and includes cuts. so the notion that somehow the american people aren't sold is not the problem. >> in fact a large majority does support a mix but not 80% as the president said. here's the poll again. it does show only 20% support for spending sus only. add up the number for some kinds of mix and cuts in taxes and you get 69%, not the 80% the president said. he also alluded to the same poll when he said that 65% of republicans support that grand bargain. he reportedly struck with speaker boehner before the speaker backed away from it. in fact the poll doesn't ask specifically about the deal, only about a mix of taxes and spending cuts. i talked about all the budget maneuvering again today with paul begala and ari fleischer. >> both sides trying to get in front of this. at this point does it look like the white house is making a dent in this battle? >> certainly from the polling, and sorry to be so political but i'm a political hack. that's why i'm on. the pres

i think the american people look at this and say this is dysfunctional, broken. which is why we are talking this special commit think that would sit down. >> greta: we had the bowles simpson committee. the american people think fine, but you didn't pay attention to the last one. >> this would have an up and down vote on recommendations and tackle this issue of entitlement reform. i think it is something we need to get done. it has to include that process or it going to be difficult to get republicans onboard. having said that, in april the president wanted a clean debt limit vote. he has come a long way. i think that's because republicans have driven him there to address the real problem which is the debt. >> greta: senator thank you. david plouffe joins us. why did the president want to speak to the american people tonight? >> first of all, eight days from now, if congress doesn't act the nation would default for the first time that would cause huge economic catastrophy. so i think it is important to let the country know we are getting close to that. most importa

this president, lawrence, respectful ly, has put government on the backs of people. the americane are suffocating throughout, lawrence. you talk about the wealthy, the top 5% of the people in this country pay 60% of the taxes for the first time in our history we have 51% of the american people that aren't paying any income taxes. lawrence, our government is too big. we have a government that spends too much, and we're bankrupting future generations, and we're not going to change that until we change this town. >> congressman walsh, you know that the government got bigger every year under the reagan presidency, so much bigger every year under the reagan presidency that ronald reagan had to ask you in congress, you weren't there, but congress, he had to ask congress for a debt ceiling increase 18 times, and congress gave him a debt ceiling increase 18 times. would you have voted no on every one of the 18 ronald reagan debt ceiling increases? >> lawrence, i'll give you an honest answer, i don't know. what's interesting to me is -- >> so there might have been a debt ceiling increase

the american people are anxiously waiting for responsible leadership. and the republica here in congress are continuing to play political games. last night the united states senate rightly defeated the boehner bill on a bipartisan vote. that partisan bill was the product of the republicans' my way or the highway approach that held all americans hostage to ransom payment for medicare, medicaid, and social security beneficiaries. . now, we must find a commonsense compromise. that's why i will vote for the reid amendment today -- reid bill today. the reid bill says it will not let us default from our fiduciary obligations. throughout deliberations on the self-inflict debt crisis, my bottom line has been to protect social security, medicare and medicaid. this plan contains real spending cuts and deficit reduction to begin putting our nation's fiscal house in order. it meets the speaker's requirement that spending be cut by the amount at least as large as the debt ceiling increase. and it doeso while protecting social security, medicare and medicaid beneficia

it's an insult to the american people. i would say to my friends on the other side of the aisle, now is the time to act like grownups. this is the time to put our country before your political party. this is the time to put ou country before the tea party. this is the time to do what's right. today you are bringing up the latest version of the reid plan. under not only a closed rule but under the st restrictive process we have in the house. usually reserved for noncontroversial bills. this is a $2.5 trillion bill being brought up under the same process that you bring up bills naming post offices. 20 minutes of debate, no amendments allowed, we're not even allowed to offer a motion to recommit to where you need a 2/3 supermajority. under this process your own bill would have failed. that's right. if your bill were brought up under this procedure, your bill would have lost last night. mr. speaker, the only bill we should consider on the house floor is one that has been agreed to byhe house and senate leaders and the president

the people decide this? why are they so afraid to let the people decide this? let me offer an answer, because democrats are terrified that the american people would ratify it and their big-spending practices would go the way of dinosaurs. the american people are sick and tired of spending. mothers and fathers understand that the federal government is going to bankrupt their children and leave them an america that is less free and less prosperous. the american people are frustrated. they might not have the data at their fingertips but they understood what i just laid out here quite well. we are not going to solve our problems by raising taxes. increasingly, the president is an island in his call for more tax increases. republicans don't support him. independents don't support him. now even democrats don't support him. you know, it's time to move o -- move on. we need to rein in our debt and we need to act boldly in doing so. so far, the president's failed to lead on this issue, choosing instead politically convenient talking points. but i would remind my dear friend in the white house that it's never too late to mend this problem. mr.

the 112 congress owes the american people an apology for continuing to waste their time. where are the jobs? we owe the american people real job creation. i yield back. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota rise? without objection, the gentleman from minnesota is recognized for one minute. mr. walz: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to tell my colleagues what my constituents are saying. simply stop playing games. we all come to this job with certain ideas, values, and principles, but that doesn't mean we get to let our ideology dictate facts. failure to pay our bills will have a catastrophic effect on our still recovering economy. it's as simple as that. this isn't a question about enabling future deficits. the federal government needs to cover the promises made to our seniors, soldiers in the field, veterans, states, and creditors at home and abroad. we need to pay our bills. the need to address our debt is every bit as serious as the need to avoid a default. we need a balan

the hook. people are coming to protest. the americanthrown under the bus by people who want to repeal the 20th century. we are a better country than this. raise the debt ceiling like you have 100 times. no deals. no destruction of our programs. go home and have a good summer break. the real patriots who love this country will not let the american dream be run over. >> van jones, thanks for joining us. >>> america is more than ready for some football. maybe a distraction from the debt dilemma. the walkout is over. players are arriving for training camps. fans are shelling out big bucks. ticketmaster says sales are up 332% monday from the day before. which means things are looking good for the cash-rich national football league. every day, all around the world, energy is being produced to power our lives. while energy developement comes with some risk, north america's natural gas producers are committed to safely and responsibly providing decades of cleaner burning energy for our country, drilling thousands of feet below fresh water sourc

people seem to be on the opposite side of what you're saying. american people are clearly saying they want to see the rich pay more. they clearly want to see medicaid and medicare not be touched. so what american people are you referring to? 81% want to raise taxes on millionaires. 74% want to end oil and gas subsidies. 76% want to protect medicare. what american people are you talking about? >> here's who i'm talking about. i'm talking about the american people who sent people like me to washington in january. they did not like the fact that he added $4 trillion to our national debt in a mere three years. look, here's what i'm talking about. you want to poll reverend sharpton, 70% of the american people support a balanced budget amendment to the constitution because they don't -- they don't -- they don't believe that politicians in either party are going to balance their books like most americans have to. i have a balanced budget amendment in front of the house. the senate's got the same. we will change the way this town does business. we've got an oppo

do with the american people sent us here to do. is what needs to happen in the context of the debt ceiling debate. >> if that is not done, will 175 republicans voted no? >> i would not say all of gumwood but 33 people sunday pledged to cut, cap, and balance as part of this package. we will not support borrowing more money or raising the debt ceiling grid we think $14 trillion when you look at the cbo numbers from a few weeks ago, this is out of control. you don't have to take politician's word for it. take any economist today who will tell you that within two- three years, there will be a debt crisis in this country. we should fix the amount and a real way and not just tinker around the edges. we should actually fix it so we don't have this big problem which everybody knows is coming. the virtual consensus among economists is that we will have a debt crisis comparable to what greases having today. we want to do something bold that fixes the country and this is that rare opportunity. >> what about the $4 trillion plan that lawmakers

don't know it and he was speaking more directly to the american people and making a case to them. >> haven't the polls showed that the american people are already engaged very much in this? >> very much so. poll after poll shows that 65, 75,% of the american people are paying close attention to the debt debate. it's interesting because this president seems to think that he can take a page out of previous president's play books, nixon, ronald reagan, bill clinton and go over the heads of the press, districtly to the american people to make his point. but those presidents knew enough to use the oval office or the east room or use the power for presidency in very rare, pointed kinds of ways to persuade and cajole and educate the american people and this president seems to be engaging in campaign strategizing from the white house which is why i think he speaks criticism from the right and left. >> jon: what about the body language? i was struck while i watched that speech, he seemed very stiff. i felt i was watching the animatronic version from all of presidents from disney world. >>

the american people need to understand the scale of this debt. and it is going to destroy us as a people. and for once you are saying your congress, at least on our side, stand up, be tough enough and say we are going to use this opportunity to save our kids and our grandkids and we are going to save this republic. please, please learn the numbers. understand how devastating this is. and it's time for the fantasy, the fantasy to come to an end and start dealing with receipt mal-- real math. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the house will stand at ease. the gentleman from iowa will control the remainder of the hour. the gentleman is recognized for the balance of the hour. mr. king: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, it's my privilege to be recognized here on the floor of the house of representatives and be able to address you on the -- about the matters of the day and the important issues that are before us here in this congress and in this nation. and i'

oh, by the way, the president asked the american people to engage tonight. ports of republicans from "the huffington post" saying that the house servers, they're crashing. congressional websites are crashing tonight, they're getting hit so hard by the american people. i thought tonight was a great night for america. can't we do this every night? i mean, i love the debate. in fact, i think round two should be president obama and speaker boehner going at it on live tv. hell, let's just negotiate out in public. joining me tonight is former labor secretary, robert reich, he's also professor of public policy at the university of california at berkeley and the author of "aftershock: the next economy and america's future." i hope we have a future. they can't decide anything in washington. mr. reich, good to have you with us tonight. >> well, good evening. >> you know, both of these plans, if you take that kind of money out of the economy, what's the effect going to be in your opinion? >> if you take the money out of the economy, there is less money for people to spe

the american people deserve better than what we're getting today on the floor of this house and the american people deserve to know that we in fact are doing everything that we can to move forward to keep the safest aviation system in the world exactly that, the world leader in safety around the world. so with that i would yield back the balance of my time and ask my colleagues to vote no on this extension and hope we can pass a clean extension. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. petri: i thank you, madam speaker. let me just conclude by urging my colleagues to support this 21st extension with a very, very modest change from a purely clean extension in that it yields to the senate for a provision that's included in the senate bill to eliminate quote-unquote essential air service for airports within 90 miles of another airport. we talked about the individual flight subsidy. let me just look at this issue from another point of view to make it perfectly clear what we're talking about. eight of the 10 airpor

where the american people are. look at the numbers. washington monthly put together this chart of five most recent national polls that show more americans want a deal with a combination of cuts and revenue increases than a deal that just has cuts alone. the president is spot on when he asks for shared sacrifice from americans who can afford it, but he seems to me anyway to be word smithing the cuts. take a closer look at what he said. >> here's where we stand. we have a democratic president and administration that is prepared to sign a tough package that includes both spending cuts, modifications to social security, medicaid and medicare. >> the keyword is modifications. just what does that mean. as liberals, we need to know what modifications he's talking about when he talks about changing, saving, strengthening the big three. there needs to be a fair trade, if there's going to be a trade, when it comes to tax increases and benefit cuts. i don't think there ought to be any changes to the big three at all. the gang

it's not helpful to the american people. at the moment, as things stand, do you have any hope of doing a deal? >> absolutely we do. the deal is not that hard. everyone knows what we need to do here. make spending cuts that democrats and republicans agree to. we need a mechanism in place to make a serious debt reduction. we have to make sure we are not having the same fight over the christmas holiday. it's easy to do if the republicans move in the right direction. anything that got out of the house of representatives needs democrat and republican votes. hopefully the people can get to work and find the compromise to get it done. the clock is ticking, but there's time. >> what are the options here for the president? you have publicly ruled out from the white house deploying the 14th amendment. would you consider a veto? where are we going here? something has to happen, doesn't it? >> the only thing to break the impasse, the stalemate is compromise. this is how the problem has been solved for 50 years and how it was solved the l

the american people know that. we are now getting to a point where i think markets around the world will question whether the political system in washington can come together and compromise for the greater good of the country. >> all right, we're going to leave it there. we'll be watching. mr. daley, thank you, as always. >> thank you. >> joining me, a member of the senate finance committee and so-called gang of six, negotiator senator tom coburn of oklahoma. senator, welcome back to "meet the press." >> good morning. how are you? >> i'm fine. i want to get your reaction to what you heard from bill daley here from the white house this morning, which is, the president will not sign a deal that results in only a temporary increase of the debt limit. he wants to see something that gets us through 2013. >> well, first of all, i think that's a ridiculous position, because that's what he's going to get presented with. that's the compromise way through that's going to build the compromise. david, everybody's talking about