Franks, Republicans, Blue Dogs Vote Against Raising the Debt Ceiling

Franks, Republicans, Blue Dog Dems Vote Against Raising the Debt Ceiling

February 4, 2010 - Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02) released the following statement today after voting against H. J. Res. 45, the Democrat PAYGO or Raising the Debt Limit Bill, which passed by a vote of 233 to 187:

"After today's vote to raise the debt ceiling for the third time in twelve months, liberal Democrats in the House and Senate have proven that they are astoundingly out of touch with the American people, and
have completely betrayed the promises they and President Obama made on the campaign trail.

"I am confident that in the near future, Democrats will be forced to reckon with the fact that the American people are not stupid and not oblivious to the promises that are being broken every day in Washington. The President cannot claim to be committed to reducing our record-breaking deficit when only days later the Democrat majority votes to raise the debt limit. The President can't call on Americans to tighten their fiscal belts when liberals in Congress are voting themselves a bigger one. He also can't claim to be supporting a "spending freeze" that in reality only applies to only around one-tenth of the budget. And finally, liberal Democrats can't claim to be fixing the economy while mortgaging our children's economic futures and further endangering the fiscal stability we so desperately need in our financial markets right now.

"As a result of House Democrats' vote today to increase the national debt limit to an unbelievable ceiling of $14.3 trillion, every man, woman, and child in America now bears a roughly $46,000 share of the national debt. It's never been more obvious that the frustration of struggling, hard-working American families trying to make ends meet has fallen on belligerently deaf ears in Washington.

"While every political leader would like to be part of making history, President Obama and his liberal Congress are making precisely
the wrong kind of history. Their year-long spending binge has broken every record in American history; and they are forcing our children to pay for it."

H. J. Res. 45, the Democrat PAYGO or Raising the Debt Limit Bill, provides the sixth debt limit increase in 3 years— a cumulative increase of $5.33 trillion or 59.4% (reflective of runaway spending) since the Democrats took over Congress.


Congressman Franks is serving his fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, and is a member of the Committee on Armed Services, Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee, Military Readiness Subcommittee, Committee on the Judiciary, Constitution Subcommittee, and is Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law.