Pearce: Let's Address Our Debt Now

Statement

Today, U.S. Congressman Steve Pearce voted against H.R. 325, which implements a short-term debt ceiling extension.

"Washington has tried short-term extensions on the debt ceiling before," said Pearce. "Clearly, they haven't worked: our debt continues to rise, and Washington continues to print money and raise taxes to fund its spending spree. The President once said that raising the debt limit was "unpatriotic,' "irresponsible,' and "a sign of leadership failure.' I call on him, and the Senate, to follow his own advice, and work with Congress to address our debt crisis: not tomorrow, not next month, but today."

Rep. Pearce has repeatedly called on Senate Democrats to pass a budget--something they have failed to do for nearly four years. The most widely publicized aspect of today's bill, termed "no budget, no pay," purports to suspend lawmakers' pay until a budget is passed. However, this provision is in reality ineffective, since it only postpones lawmakers' paychecks in the absence of a budget, rather than stopping them altogether.

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