McKinley Votes against Giving President Obama a Blank Check

Statement

Just three days before the August 2nd deadline, the U.S. House of Representatives took up Senator Harry Reid's H.R. 2693, the Budget Control Act of 2011. Senator Reid's plan would give the president a blank check through the next election, make $1 trillion in phantom cuts, slashes funding to defense, fails to cut spending more than it hikes, and doesn't have enough support in the Senate to pass.

Just yesterday Rep. David B. McKinley, P.E. (R-WV) voted to save our country from defaulting on its obligations, reduce spending, and make the type of structural reforms necessary to right our fiscal ship. Speaker Boehner's Budget Control Act, would cut $917 billion in cuts over the next ten years in exchange for raising the debt ceiling by $900 billion, does not raise taxes, requires passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment in both houses before another debt limit increase is considered later this Congress, and establishes a Joint Committee of the House and Senate to achieve an additional $1.8 trillion in deficit reduction.

The House has now passed two bills in an effort to responsibly tackle America's debt crisis. The Senate has passed nothing. Since being sworn in, Rep. McKinley has been focused on reducing government spending and imposing no new taxes on anyone. After today's vote, the First District Representative issued the following statement:

"As currently written, Senator Reid's legislation is so fundamentally flawed it doesn't even have enough support in the Senate to pass," said McKinley. "I have spoken with many constituents throughout the course of this debate and they have shared that Senator Reid's plan is not what they want. It not only gives President Obama a blank check signed by the taxpayers but its suggested savings are an illusion at best. The last thing this fiscally irresponsible president needs is a blank check off the backs of American taxpayers.

"House Republicans have been responsible since day one of this debate. We have offered two clear paths for fixing our country's economic woes while raising the debt ceiling responsibly. The president has offered nothing and the Senate has voted against all House efforts. Frankly, President Obama has failed to lead on this issue.

"The American people deserve better from their elected officials and this display of inability to compromise is disheartening. It is time for the Senate and the president to act responsibly and work with the House on developing a plan so our great country does not end up in default."

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