There were 5 Democrats and one Independent in the Senate that did not vote for the Budget Control Act Gillibrand (NY), Harkin (IA), Lautenburg (NJ), Menendez (NJ), Merkly (OR), Nelson (NE) and Sanders (VT)
Doyle Votes Against Debt Limit Bill
U.S. Representative Mike Doyle (PA-14) voted against S. 365, legislation to raise the federal debt limit, cut government spending by nearly $1 trillion, and link a future increase in the debt limit to either passage of a balanced budget amendment or the enactment of an additional $1.2 trillion in cuts. He released the following statement after the bill was passed by the House of Representatives by a vote of 269 to 161.
I voted against S. 365 because I believe it will kill jobs and choke off economic growth while making life harder for the Americans who are struggling the most.
I believe the federal government’s skyrocketing national debt is a problem the United States must fix – and that it will require substantial sacrifice for us to do so – but I strongly oppose the approach taken in this bill, which I believe to be both counterproductive and unjust.
I recognize that we need to cut spending as part of the solution. That’s why I voted last week for Senator Reid’s plan to cut $2 trillion in spending over the next ten years. But the Republican cuts-only approach won’t stop the growth in the national debt, it won’t grow the economy, and it won’t create jobs.
In fact, spending cuts in the middle of an economic crisis slow the economy down and choke off job growth – as recent economic figures for the second quarter have shown.
Unless we grow the economy, spending cuts won’t get the deficit under control. That’s why I believe that Congress must enact a more comprehensive approach that includes tax reform along with spending cuts.
The other reason I opposed the debt limit bill was my belief that getting deficits and the debt under control should be accomplished with shared sacrifice, and not by dumping all of the burden on the most vulnerable members of our society. So, for example, this bill doesn’t ask profitable companies and the wealthiest Americans to share the sacrifice through higher taxes. On the other hand, it makes cuts in student loan programs and eliminates the firewall for defense after only two years. That’s not my idea of shared sacrifice.
I voted twice to raise the debt – once for a clean debt limit increase with no strings attached, and once for the Reid plan, which would have raised the debt limit and cut $2 trillion in spending. I am deeply pleased that, in the end, Congress didn’t allow our government to default on its obligations, but I couldn’t support a bill that I believe will do real, substantial damage to our economy, deny essential aid to struggling households, and slow or stop the creation of American jobs.
Miller Statement On Debt Ceiling Vote
Washington, DC – U.S. Rep George Miller (D-CA) released the following statement after voting against the debt ceiling budget deal that passed the House today:
“Regrettably, I cannot support the debt ceiling budget deal in the House today. I say regrettably because neither I nor my Democratic colleagues want to see the United States default on its debts.
“And, of course, there was no reason to ever get this close to default. The default crisis was politically manufactured.
“Congress has been taken over by the right wing of the Republican Party, the Tea Party wing that has a radical agenda to end Medicare, cut Social Security and slash health care for the elderly and the poor. Their goal is not deficit reduction. But deficit reduction is being used as the weapon to cut these critical commitments that are so fundamental to our society.
“They used the debt ceiling to hold the economic well-being of the American people hostage to get their way.
“In the end, they did not get their way, because we have protected Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid – for now. But they have done great damage by holding the economy hostage this long, and they are doing long-term damage by having negotiated this bill today. We were not able to prevent them from extracting draconian cuts to critical services that help our economy.
“This bill will set in place long-term cuts to the economy that will shrink our Gross Domestic Product and raise unemployment. This bill will greatly reduce America’s ability to out-compete the rest of the world. It will greatly diminish our ability to make basic investments in education, in research and innovation, in our economic growth and competitive spirit. This bill will make it more difficult for America to lead.
“All of which means fewer Americans will be working because of this bill.
“But this bill lets the wealthiest people in our country get off scot-free. They will not contribute one dime.
“That is a tragedy of enormous proportions.
“At a time when Americans are struggling to climb out of the recession, conservative and liberal economists alike have said that we need to keep investing in the economy, not pull out.
“This bill was never about deficit reduction. This bill was about pursuing a radical agenda. And as long as the Republicans control Congress, this radical agenda to end Medicare and Social Security and withdraw critical government services that create jobs will remain a threat to the American people.”
| August 1, 2011: Markey Statement on Debt Deal |
| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Edward J. Markey (D-Mass,), dean of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, issued the following statement after voting against S. 365, The Budget Control Act of 2011. “Fulfilling our country’s financial obligations is a fundamental responsibility, and both political parties have met this responsibility by raising the debt ceiling 75 times over the years without attaching conditions. But rather than engaging in a sensible, bipartisan process, the inflexible, ideology-fueled Republican Party and its extreme Tea Party faction has forced the country into a choice that should never have been necessary. “We are being forced to choose between the first default in our country’s history or trillions in cuts in investments that create jobs and benefit the lives of countless Americans across the country. Instead of these massive, ill-timed and unwise cuts that could send our country into a double-dip recession, we should be creating jobs by increasing our investments in cutting-edge scientific research, supporting clean technology industries that will be the job generators of the 21st century, and promoting small business, the engine that drives our economy. “We need to reduce our deficit, but it should not be done exclusively through spending cuts; revenue increases also must be on the table. There are billions of dollars in unnecessary subsidies for the most profitable oil and gas companies that we should terminate, and billions in Bush-era tax cuts for the super wealthy that we should repeal. “With only deep cuts, this deficit plan could undermine many industries that matter most to Massachusetts, including the health care and high technology sectors. Massachusetts residents would be in jeopardy of suffering severe reductions in the federal programs on which they depend.” |
Statement of Sen. Bernie Sanders on Why He Will Oppose the Deficit-Reduction Proposal
August 1, 2011
Sen. Bernie Sanders today issued the following statement on why he plans to vote against a deficit-reduction deal proposed by the White House and congressional leaders:
"The wealthiest people in this country and the largest corporations who are doing phenomenally well today are not being asked to contribute one penny in shared sacrifice toward deficit reduction. On the other hand, middle-class and working families who are suffering terribly in the midst of this horrible recession are being asked to shoulder 100 percent of the human cost of lowering our deficit. This is not only grossly unfair, it is bad economic policy.
"This two-part deficit-reduction legislation is complicated, and it is impossible to predict exactly which programs will be cut and by how much because the process requires action by appropriation committees and a new super committee in months to come.
"But it is very clear that there will be devastating cuts to education, infrastructure, Head Start and child care, LIHEAP, community health centers, environmental protection, affordable housing and many, many other programs. I am also concerned that when we hear that ‘everything is on the table' in terms of what this super committee deals with it will certainly include devastating cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' needs, while protecting the interests of the wealthy and large corporations.
"This country needs deficit reduction, but we need to do it in a way that is fair and which will result in economic growth and job creation. This proposal does neither and I will oppose it."
Congress' Missed Opportunity
Posted: 8/2/11 02:02 PM ET
Earlier this week, I supported over $2 trillion in spending cuts without additional revenues, and last December I voted to roll back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans that are blowing a hole in the deficit. I was willing to vote for a real compromise. But the fact is, there is nothing in this deal that will address the significant jobs crisis we are facing. This deal, cut behind closed doors with zero transparency, is an unbalanced approach that cuts deeply into discretionary spending while being overwhelmingly stacked in favor of large corporations who exploit loopholes and the wealthiest among us. It is simply not in the best interests of the middle class and the larger economic recovery so I could not support it.
I have not been in Washington long, but long enough to know it is broken. As I travel across New York, the people I meet are focused entirely on jobs and economic security for their families. Congress should take this charge as its own. I will continue to look for bipartisan ways to reduce the debt in a responsible way and create jobs in this struggling economy. The truth is, today we could have gone further in reducing America's debt with a sensible compromise that both cut discretionary spending and raised revenues. It is unfortunate Congress missed that opportunity.
Merkley: Debt deal is not the right path
Uploaded by SenatorJeffMerkley on Aug 2, 2011
Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley spoke on the floor of the Senate to announce his decision to vote "no" on a debt deal that hurts our economy and puts greater burdens on middle class families.
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