Call it a debt hawk’s dream, but Rep. Tom Reed introduced a resolution last week to install a ticking clock to blare the national debt directly onto the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Reid, a New York Republican who says he talks about the debt “incessantly,” said he had the idea on a recent trip to Manhattan’s billboard-sized clock near Times Square.
“What I envision is a computer-generated type item that would be right there in the House chamber, also off the website, that would show the debt racking up as we speak,” Reed said during a conference call with reporters Monday. “We’re borrowing 40 cents on every dollar. Fifty-eight thousands dollars per second.”
The U.S. national debt stands at more than $14 trillion and counting, and will force Congress once again to raise the debt limit to avoid a national default. Republicans say they will only support another increase if it’s tied to massive spending cuts, a notion President Obama has said he is open to discussing.
“The debt clock will be a distinct reminder that our national debt must always be our first consideration as we continue to spend money that we do not have,” Reed said in a statement last week.
Reed’s proposal, which he said has “some great support,” is in the hands of the Committee on House Administration. A spokesman from the committee did not immediately respond for comment.