Mike Coffman

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to introduce a resolution highlighting the actions taken by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, in the operation of their financial and judicial systems, that are manifestly contrary to the public policy of the United States. This resolution asks that all further direct or indirect aid or assistance, including assistance derived from Federal funds, by the United States Government to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda should be suspended until the Government of Antigua and Barbuda provides complete redress of the violations by their government against the rights of American citizens. Antigua and Barbuda should give full cooperation in investigating the Stanford Financial Group fraud, and should agree to be bound by U.S. courts that adjudicate claims arising from the Stanford fraud. The resolution also asks the Government of Antigua and Barbuda to fulfill its obligations relating to the expropriation of the Half Moon Bay Resort, which was owned by a group of U.S. citizens. I ask for its swift passage.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28. Today, it is $15,099,497,460,357.58. We've added $10,298,092,285,063.30 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28. Today, it is $15,098,098,486,788.82. We've added $10,296,693,311,494.54 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28. Today, it is $15,051,286,197,149.79. We've added $10,249,881,021,855.51 to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing two more pieces of legislation to curb the benefits currently available to Members of Congress. The first ends the automatic pay increase privilege for Members of Congress. In 1989, Congress established the current formula for automatic annual salary adjustments under the Ethics Reform Act. The formula is based on the Employment Cost Index which tracks changes in private sector wages and salaries. Unless Congress passes a law blocking it, the adjustment goes into effect automatically. The current system is set up to allow Members of Congress to receive pay raises without having to cast recorded votes for them and that is just wrong. Requiring recorded votes on pay increases will not only make the actions of Congress more transparent but it is another step that will make Congress more accountable to the citizens who elect them. Another benefit available to Members is lifetime eligibility for service in Congress. A lifetime of service in Congress is, I believe, far too insulating and privileged to assure us that our Representatives are firmly empathetic to and aligned with the needs of the American people. But given the significance of seniority in Congress, States that encourage their members to pledge to limit their terms voluntarily are at a disadvantage with States that don't. I believe that the solution is to make term limits mandatory by passing a constitutional amendment that would limit the terms of Members of Congress so that everyone will be subject to the same requirement. I am introducing a proposal to do this, and limit House and Senate Member terms to 12 years. These bills are the latest proposals of my ongoing efforts to reform Congress. In addition to chairing the Congressional Balanced Budget Amendment Caucus, and so working to take away the unlimited ability of Congress to borrow money, I introduced House Resolution 270 in January, which would cut Congressional pay by 10 percent as well as reduce Congressional office budgets. In September, I introduced House Resolution 2913, which would terminate the pension plan available to members of Congress. All of my reforms are about changing the culture of Washington, D.C. to make government work for the American people. I urge the passage of these bills.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28. Today, it is $15,060,274,082,298.88. We've added $10,258,868,907,004.60 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28. Today, it is $15,054,018,277,569.01. We've added $10,252,613,102,274.73 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28. Today, it is $15,052,444,423,722.81. We've added $10,251,039,248,428.53 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132 the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28. Today, it is $15,046,397,725,405.16. We've added $10,244,992,550,110.88 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28. Today, it is $15,071,624,794,970.66. We've added $10,270,219,619,676.38 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28. Today, it is $15,068,133,903,969.13. We've added $10,266,728,728,674.85 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28. Today, it is $15,073,380,701,589.57. We've added $10,271,975,526,295.29 to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our Nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28. Today, it is $15,088,441,787,407.62. We've added $10,287,036,612,113.34 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28. Today, it is $15,110,498,560,876.77. We've added $10,309,093,385,852.49 to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. The Obama administration is currently choking the lifeblood out of our Nation's middle class, small businesses, and entrepreneurs through excessive regulation. According to the Small Business Administration, regulations cost the American economy $1.75 trillion annually. The Obama administration has issued 200 such regulations that are expected to cost our economy at least $100 million each, and seven of these regulations have a pricetag of over $1 billion. The President has long touted the job creation of his so-called stimulus. But every $1 million increase in the Federal regulatory budget costs 420 private sector jobs for hardworking Americans. This is why I am urging passage of House Resolution 527, the Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2011. This legislation will give real teeth to the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, which mandated that Federal agencies first assess the economic impact of their regulations on small businesses before going forward with them. It is time to put small businesses first.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 866 I was unavoidably detained and I would have voted ``no.'' personal explanation

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28. Today, it is $15,054,163,621,371.29. We've added $10,252,758,446,077.01 to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28. Today, it is $15,051,673,595,197.90. We've added $10,250,268,419,903.62 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our Nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I've had the honor of serving in both the Army and the Marine Corps, five overseas deployments, two of them in combat. What has really struck me since I've been in the Congress of the United States and had the honor, as well, to serve on the Armed Services Committee is testimony by former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, who said the greatest threat to the United States is our national debt. He didn't say it was al Qaeda. He didn't say it was some foreign power of terrorists. He said the greatest threat to the United States is right here. The greatest threat to the United States are the decades of out-of-control spending by the Congress of the United States that is bringing down this country. We have an opportunity today to change that. We have an opportunity today to put the discipline in place that we are not going to go down the path of Greece. I would ask the Members of this body to show the same courage and determination that the young men and women show who serve our country in defense of our freedom every day, to do the right thing and to vote for a balanced budget amendment to the United States Constitution. If not now, when? Let us vote for this. Let us put this country down the right track. And let us not be the greatest threat to the United States.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4.8 trillion. This week it hit $15 trillion. Today, it is $15,026,993,847,879.10. We've added 10 trillion dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today for the first time our national debt has surpassed $15 trillion dollars. Currently, our national debt is $15,033,607,255,920.32. On January 6, 2009, the start of the 111th Congress, the national debt was $10,638,425,746,293.80. This means the national debt has increased by $4,395,181,509,626.52 since then. This debt and its interest payments we are passing to our children and all future Americans.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today our national debt is $14,977,884,880,834.39. On January 6, 2009, the start of the 111th Congress, the national debt was $10,638,425,746,293.80. This means the national debt has increased by $4,339,459,134,540.59 since then. This debt and its interest payments we are passing to our children and all future Americans.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today our national debt is $14,979,610,349,742.69. On January 6, 2009, the start of the 111th Congress, the national debt was $10,638,425,746,293.80. This means the national debt has increased by $4,341,184,603,448.89 since then. This debt and its interest payments we are passing to our children and all future Americans.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today our national debt is $14,973,228,608,405.04. On January 6, 2009, the start of the 111th Congress, the national debt was $10,638,425,746,293.80. This means the national debt has increased by $4,334,802,862,111.24 since then. This debt and its interest payments we are passing to our children and all future Americans.

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today our national debt is $14,977,962,674,363.87. On January 6, 2009, the start of the 111th Congress, the national debt was $10,638,425,746,293.80. This means the national debt has increased by $4,339,536,928,070.07 since then. This debt and its interest payments we are passing to our children and all future Americans.