Congressman Gohmert on Continuing Debt Debate

TYLER — It’s getting closer to the Aug. 2 deadline to increase the government’s debt limit, and plans pushed by a Republican and Democrat leader aren’t expected to get very far. Some Republicans say the $1 trillion in war-related savings in Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid’s plan are phony. And the same Republicans say the cuts in House Speaker John Boehner’s proposal don’t go far enough.

East Texas Congressman, Republican, Louie Gohmert spoke with KTBB Wednesday morning and said Congress has got to get more serious. He said the government spends around $10 billion, with $4 billion of that being borrowed. Gohmert says a real balanced budget amendment is needed that will prevent Congress from spending too much and make it live within it’s means the way every single state government is suppose to do. He said the bill that Harry Reid is proposing is even worse than the Boehner plan.

Gohmert added, “If the Senate could pass any bill, no matter what it is, the Reid Plan, the Gang of Six plan, anything, then the whole matter would be brought to a conference committee under house rules that has to meet publicly and we get a compromise worked out.”

The congressman insisted that there is not going to be any failure to pay Social Security. He said, “The money is there and there are Treasury notes to cover anything that does not.” Gohmert included the fact that Social Security is paid separately from all other indebtedness. He added that there is plenty of money to pay the debt as it comes due everyday, for some time.