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Democrat Double Speak:
Then and Now on Federal Debt Ceiling
The Hill reports this morning that, “Congressional Democrats are poised to take the politically uncomfortable but unavoidable step of raising again the federal debt ceiling, using the budget process to increase the nation’s credit limit even though they had hammered Republicans for making the same move in previous years.”
DEMOCRATS THEN:
“The ranking Democratic members on three key House committees — Rep. Charles W. Stenholm of Texas (Agriculture); Rep. John M. Spratt Jr. of South Carolina (Budget); and Rep. Charles B. Rangel of New York (Ways and Means) — sent a letter Wednesday to House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, Illinois Republican, asking for stand-alone votes on the debt limit and pay-as-you-go budget rules… ‘We are writing to request that the increase in the debt ceiling be considered as a stand-alone matter, not rolled into another legislative vehicle, and that it be given a full debate, followed by a clean up-or-down vote,’ the Democrats said.”
(Washington Times, November 15, 2004)
Budget Chairman Spratt (D-SC): “Before still more precious time slips through our hands, the Congress should confront the debt crisis head on, with a full and open debate, and a clear up-or-down vote.”
(Democrat Budget Committee Staff Report, November 16, 2004)
(Then) Rep. Menendez (D-NJ): “So let us be clear that when Members come to the floor representing their constituencies, they should understand that a vote for this budget resolution is a vote to increase the debt ceiling of the United States to $8.6 trillion. This will ensure that our tax dollars do not go to Social Security and Medicare or to investing in our people, but to simply paying interest on this debt that Republicans continue to raise without any concern about future generations.”
(House of Reps., April 28, 2005, H. CON. RES. 95, Concurrent Budget Resolution, FY 2006)
Rep. Hastings (D-FL): “… Congress has provided four increases in the statutory debt ceiling totaling $3 trillion. Under this budget as proposed by the Republicans, the statutory debt by the year 2011, footnote there, the baby boomers hit at 2009, the statutory debt will increase by another $2.3 trillion, for a total increase of $5.3 trillion. It will leave the statutory debt at a record level of $11.3 trillion. What part of that is mythical? What we are talking about is something that is going to destroy the economic base of this country.”
(House of Representatives, April 6, 2006, Providing for Consideration of H. Con. Res. 376, Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for FY2007).
AND DEMOCRATS NOW?
“…Both Spratt and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) declined through their offices to comment on which option Democrats currently favor to raise the limit.”
(The Hill, March 13, 2007)
Will Chairman Spratt, Chairman Rangel, and the Democrat Majority
remain consistent and permit the stand-alone vote on the debt ceiling that
they once claimed to support?
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