(Sean Whaley/Nevada News Bureau) – Congressman Dean Heller today led the opposition on increasing the national statutory debt limit by nearly $300 billion (H.R. 4314).
“Here we are again. Christmas is a week away and Congress is scrambling at the last minute just so we can go home,” said Heller.
“While Americans are doing last minute holiday shopping, the majority party is doing its last minute spending. This year many families are cutting back their holiday shopping. Average holiday spending by Americans has dropped to $343 dollars per person from $372 dollars a year ago. You would think that during these tough times when most Americans are forced to tighten their belts, that Congress would also. Not a chance under this majority,” he said.
“This majority stumbled into 2009 with a budget that raised the deficit by $1.8 trillion. Then Congress decided to pass an $800 billion stimulus bill, $3 billion on Cash for Clunkers, a trillion dollars on a Cap and Tax bill, $1.3 trillion on the Democrat health care bill and recently another $447 billion was spent on Washington D.C. bureaucracies,” Heller said.
“After all this spending, the national debt is now more than $12 trillion dollars. Every American citizen will now owe more than $39,000 to pay for Washington’s spending. Now Democrats want to raise the debt limit to allow even more spending in 2010. The real “fat cat” is the federal government which spends, spends, and spends while the American public gets stuck with the bill, he said.
“I urge my colleagues to reject raising the debt limit and give the gift that American deserves…a responsible federal budget, he said.
Reuters reported that the debt limit increase narrowly passed the House by a vote of 218-214. The Senate will vote on the bill by the end of the month.
Heller’s speech can also be seen at heller.house.gov or on YouTube.
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