US House Votes To Raise Debt Ceiling, Fleming Votes ‘No’

Congressman John Fleming M.D. released the following statement today after voting against the "deal" to raise the debt ceiling by up to $2.4 trillion – the largest debt ceiling increase in American history. This "deal" left too many unanswered questions and left too much off the table when it comes to bringing our country back to fiscal sanity.

"I applaud Speaker Boehner's perseverance and am glad we are on a path to averting a national default.  The Speaker went toe-to-toe with the Obama Administration and the Democract-controlled Senate, and ultimately ensured job-killing tax hikes were not part of the final deal which matches every dollar of debt limit increase by more than a dollar of real spending cuts. Ultimately though, I can not in good conscience support the largest debt ceiling increase in our nation's history, which will only enable our insatiable thirst for deficit spending to continue, albeit at a slower pace.  For the future of our country, our kids and grandkids, there comes a point where we have to say 'enough is enough.' As a nation drowning in over $14 trillion in debt – and growing – I think most Americans agree that we reached that point long ago," said Congressman Fleming.

Congressman Fleming added, "Besides severely undermining our national defense with unprecedented cuts at a time of growing global insecurity, this plan fails to confront the grave fiscal challenges that threaten the survival of Medicare and Social Security, instead kicking the can of entitlement reform down the road – yet again.  Most importantly though, without a guaranteed path for the enactment of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, this plan falls short in ensuring the proposed reductions will actually take effect.  The halls of Congress are littered with dozens of well intentioned plans that promised grand reforms only to be revoked or ignored by politicians unwilling to follow though with hard choices."