Then & Now: The changing rhetoric in the debt-limit debate

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) vs. Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.)

Rangel March 7, 2006

Simply raising the limit on George W. Bush's credit card and crossing our fingers won't solve anything. Any long-term debt limit increase must be accompanied by a serious effort to bring our budget back to the balance we achieved under the Clinton administration.

Rangel May 31, 2011

Our country is currently facing serious challenges, including two unfunded wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with $14.3 trillion in debt. Our fiscal reputation is on the line. We should not play games with the full faith in credit of the United States of America and must come together as a nation.

From the: Oval Office | Treasury
Democrats: Obama | Reid | Rangel
Republicans: Grassley | Pence