{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://paulryan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=357107", "Ryan Opening Statement: Budget-Conference Committee", "2013-10-30", "2013", "2013-10", "Republican", "House", "WI", "Paul Ryan", "R000570", "paulryan.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Before I recognize Chairman Murray, I want to share a few thoughts. You\u2019ll notice there are three senators for every congressman\u2014so it\u2019s an even match. I like to think quality beats quantity. But in all seriousness, we\u2019ve got some important work ahead of us. And it\u2019s not going to be easy. So today, I want to talk about why we\u2019re here and what we need to do.\r\nWe\u2019re here because we want to get an agreement. We want to get something done. For too long, both parties have ignored our growing national debt\u2014and the threat it poses to our country. Democrats didn\u2019t create all these problems\u2014and neither did Republicans. Everybody was part of the problem, so everybody has to be part of the solution. But you\u2019ve got to make an accurate diagnosis before you can fill out a prescription. We\u2019ve got to recognize what we\u2019re dealing with.\r\n\r\n    \r\n        \r\n            \r\n        \r\n    \r\n\r\nDebt held by the public has doubled in just five years. And it\u2019s only getting worse. \r\n\r\n    \r\n        \r\n            \r\n        \r\n    \r\n\r\nTen thousand baby-boomers are retiring every day. Health-care costs are rising. Medicare and Social Security are going broke. The Congressional Budget Office says if we don\u2019t act, we\u2019ll have a debt crisis. And if that happens, the most vulnerable will suffer first and worst. This debt weighs down our economy even today. But right now, we\u2019re not doing much about it. We can\u2019t kick the can down the road anymore. We\u2019ve got to get a handle on our debt\u2014now.\r\n\r\n    \r\n        \r\n            \r\n        \r\n    \r\n\r\nAnd from my perspective, taking more from hardworking families just isn\u2019t the answer. I know my Republican colleagues feel the same way. So I want to say this from the get-go: If this conference becomes an argument about taxes, we\u2019re not going to get anywhere. The way to raise revenue is to grow the economy. We need to write a tax code that encourages economic growth\u2014not stifles it. And luckily, Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate are working together to do just that. Today, our tax code is full of carve-outs and kickbacks. We need to get rid of them\u2014and those bipartisan talks are just the way to do it. So let\u2019s do all we can to encourage that effort. And let\u2019s focus our energy on the task at hand: a budget that cuts spending in a smarter way.  Our goal isn\u2019t to grow the federal budget; it\u2019s to grow family budgets. And to do that, we need to help put people back to work. \r\n\r\n    \r\n        \r\n            \r\n        \r\n    \r\n\r\nOver 90 million Americans are \u201con the sidelines.\u201d Over a third of the unemployed haven\u2019t had a job in over 6 months. \r\n\r\n    \r\n        \r\n            \r\n        \r\n    \r\n\r\nHousehold income is down significantly. We may disagree over why the economy isn\u2019t growing as it should. But I hope we can all agree the status quo is unacceptable. So let\u2019s work together to provide some real relief for families. If we get control of our debt, we\u2019ll help the economy grow. We\u2019ll restore confidence in Washington\u2014and in our economy.\r\nToday, the Federal Reserve is keeping interest rates unusually low. If we lock in structural reforms now, we will help keep interest rates low, which will boost our economy. But this opportunity won\u2019t last forever. Once interest rates rise, debt payments will eat up a bigger slice of the federal budget. In fact, those payments might grow so large that they bankrupt us. Structural reforms are crucial to economic growth, and we should act now to get a down payment.\r\nNobody has to abandon their principles. Instead, we need to find out where our principles overlap. We all agree Washington isn\u2019t working. We all agree there\u2019s a smarter way to cut spending. And we all agree our economy could be doing a lot better. We won\u2019t resolve all our differences here. We won\u2019t solve all our problems. But we can make a good start. And we should\u2014because we owe it to the country.\r\nSo let\u2019s focus on achievable goals. Let\u2019s find common ground. Let\u2019s make a down payment on the debt. And let\u2019s get this economy growing again.\r\nWith that, I want to recognize Chairman Murray for her opening remarks.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://paulryan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=357107"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3592541217803955, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}