[Pages H274-H275]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              ADDRESSING THE TRAGEDY OF OUR NATIONAL DEBT

  (Mr. MURPHY of North Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. MURPHY of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address 
the tragedy of our national debt.
  Out-of-control spending is the single greatest nonviolent threat to 
our Nation. This year alone, the Federal deficit increase exceeded $1 
trillion.
  Just to give some perspective, a trillion $1 bills stacked from the 
ground would reach 60,000 miles into space. The International Space 
Station is only at 200 miles. This stack would reach one-quarter of the 
distance to the Moon.

[[Page H275]]

  The current debt is at $23 trillion, which amounts to $70,000 per 
American. It continues to compound year after year after year without 
any relief in sight.
  It is estimated that the national debt will rise to 93 percent of GDP 
in the next 10 years. That means that for every $100 that this Nation 
makes, $93 would have to go toward servicing our debt.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a national tragedy. We are bankrupting our 
children and our children's children's future. We must stop this 
impending disaster. I urge my colleagues and associates to help us 
address real solutions.

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