WASHINGTON — When Senator Claire McCaskill first came to Washington in January 2007, the federal debt stood at $8.6 trillion – a figure which took over 200 years for our country to reach.  Yet, just five years later, and particularly over the last three years as McCaskill has rubber-stamped every major spending initiative proposed by President Obama, the federal debt has now hit the once-unfathomable mark of $15 trillion – a 74 percent increase and more than $48,000 for every American man, woman and child.To mark the United States Treasury reaching the $15 trillion debt mark today, and to highlight the massive spending by Senator McCaskill and President Obama that has led to this point, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) released a new web video – “$15,000,000,000,000…Siriously”

“As a candidate for the Senate in 2006, Senator McCaskill talked about the importance of fiscal responsibility, but since coming to Washington she and her fellow Democrats have used the federal treasury like their own personal credit card,” NRSC spokesman Chris Bond said today.  “As she prepares to face Missouri voters next year, Senator McCaskill will have to explain why she’s rubberstamped President Obama’s reckless spending agenda, including his failed stimulus and government health care bill, instead of focusing on creating jobs and growing our economy.”

Click Here To Watch The NRSC’s New Video

$15,000,000,000,000… Siriously

BACKGROUND….

THE NATIONAL DEBT HAS HIT THE $15 TRILLION MARK

The National Debt Is Now $15.0 Trillion Dollars. (US Department Of The Treasury, TreasuryDirect.gov, Accessed 11/16/11)

Since President Obama Took Office And Senate Democrats Rubberstamped His Spending Agenda, The National Debt Has Risen $4.4 Trillion, An Increase Of Over 41 Percent. (US Department Of The Treasury, TreasuryDirect.gov, Accessed 11/16/11)

HOW MUCH IS $15 TRILLION?

$15 Trillion Is More Than The Value Of All The Goods And Services Produced In The United States Last Year. (“Gross Domestic Product,” Bureau Of Economic Analysis, BEA.gov, Accessed 11/3/11)

In FY2010, The Bureau Of Engraving And Printing Produced $974 Million Worth Of Currency. At That Rate, It Would Take 15,400 Years To Print $15 Trillion. (“Annual Production Figures,” Bureau Of Engraving And Printing, Accessed 11/3/11)

·         It Would Take The Average Household Over 300 Million Years To Pay Off The National Debt On Their Own.(Press Release, “Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010,” US Census Bureau, 9/13/11)

To Pay Off $15 Trillion In Debt, The Federal Government Would Have To Devote Every Dollar Of Revenue To Paying Off The Debt For 6.5 Years. (“Monthly Budget Review,” Congressional Budget Office, 10/7/11)

In 2006, Senator McCaskill Expressed Support For A Federal Balanced Budget

“McCaskill, Beaming As She Introduced Her Children, Mother, Sister And Husband, Said She Could ‘Smell Change’ In Her Travels Around Missouri, Which She Believes Wants To Return To A Time Of Balanced Budgets, National Security, Health Care And Prosperity For The Masses . . . .” (Cheryl Wittenauer, “Former President Clinton Stumps In For McCaskill In St. Louis,” The Associated Press, 9/9/06)

During Her 2006 Campaign For U.S. Senate, McCaskill Said “This Is All About Change . . . Let’s Bring Some Common Sense Back To The Equation,” And Noted The Budget Had Not Been Balanced. “‘This is all about change,’ McCaskill said to raucous applause in Joplin on Wednesday, where more than 100 supporters crammed into the tiny Democratic Party headquarters. ‘Let’s bring some common sense back to the equation,’ McCaskill told about 45 voters Friday in Milan standing outside the county courthouse. ‘They’re not balancing the budget. They’ve got us in a mess in Iraq. They’ve done nothing to solve the immigration problem,’ she said of the GOP.” (Deirdre Shesgreen, “Down To The Wire Claire McCaskill Has Scoured Rural And Urban Missouri To Energize Democrats,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11/5/06)

McCaskill: “Well, You Know, I Think, To The Extent That I’ve Had To Multitask As A Single Mom With Three Kids And Do More With Less, I Think I Can Help Balance The Budget, Because I’ve Had To Do That In My Life.” (MSNBC, 11/8/06)

“State Auditor Claire McCaskill . . . Said She Supports The Line-Item Veto. ‘I’m For Getting Rid Of Any Excuse The Republicans Have To Keep Them From Balancing The Budget,’ McCaskill Said In A Written Statement.” (Jason Rosenbaum, “Veto Power Faces Hurdle Talent And McCaskill Favor Line-Item,” Columbia [MO] Daily Tribune, 6/30/06)

McCaskill’s 2006 Campaign Website: “Fiscal Sanity Must Be Restored In Washington. Economic Growth Depends On Cracking Down On Our Record Deficits And Reckless Spending.” (Claire McCaskill For U.S. Senate 2006 Website, www.claireonline.com, Accessed 3/30/11)

·         “Washington Has Made A Mess Out Of Our Finances. Reckless Spending, Runaway Deficits, a growing trade imbalance with China, all add up to a dire fiscal picture impacting every Missourian.” (Claire McCaskill For U.S. Senate 2006 Website, www.claireonline.com, Accessed 3/30/11)

“Claire Pledges To Take On The Sacred Cows In D.C. And Force Them To Take Deficit Reduction Seriously.” (Claire McCaskill For U.S. Senate 2006 Website, www.claireonline.com, Accessed 3/30/11)

“Our National Debt Is Now At A Staggering $9 Trillion. In Washington, Claire Will Fight To Restore Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) Funding So That Washington Is Forced To Put Its Fiscal House In Order.” (Claire McCaskill For U.S. Senate 2006 Website, www.claireonline.com, Accessed 3/30/11)