Source: PRESS RELEASES

Scroll down to see releases from Coble, Ellmers, McIntyre, Miller, Shuler, and Sen. Hagan

Coble votes for debt ceiling bill
 

While it might not have been as strong as last month’s Cut, Cap and Balance Act according to U.S. Rep. Coble (R-NC), the 6th District representative today said he voted for the legislation to increase the nation’s debt ceiling.  Congressman Coble said that given a divided government, it was the best deal obtainable on the brink of the deadline of when the government’s borrowing authority expires.  The legislation passed the House by a vote by 269-161.

“I voted for the bill because it cuts government spending at a greater amount than it increases the debt ceiling,” Rep. Coble said.  “We did that without raising taxes, without harming Social Security and Medicare, while at the same time, putting us on the path to enact a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. “

Congressman Coble did not think it was the 11th hour when it came to working out a debt ceiling deal, but given the political circumstances, it was prudent to act now.  “I think in many instances the deadline of August 2 was overblown,” Rep. Coble said.  “For argument’s sake, let’s assume if we had done nothing prior to August 2, the end of the world would not have occurred on August 3.  I don’t mean to dismiss the importance of getting this thing resolved, and that is why I voted for this bill.  I think the time has come to resolve the issue because we don’t want to tempt fate that America’s credit rating could be diminished.”

Rep. Coble said the constitutional amendment feature was important to him.  “I think this bill is going to streamline the process for us to get to a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution,” Rep. Coble added.  “I think the steps we took today will put us on the glide path towards a balanced budget amendment.  “I hope that we will be sending a constitutional amendment to the various states soon.  It is the only sure-fire way to make the federal government spend no more than it collects.”

The Senate has to approve the bill and President Obama must sign it before it will go into effect.

Congresswoman Ellmers statement on proposed debt deal

Congresswoman Renee Ellmers released the following statement from her office in Washington this afternoon:

"Last night, Speaker Boehner announced that a deal has been reached with the President, Senate and House of Representatives in order to avoid default and raise the debt limit. While this agreement is not perfect, it is a positive step forward and consistent with the principles we set forth from the beginning. It meets the 'cuts more than the debt hike' standard that Speaker Boehner laid out in a speech to Economic Club of New York in May and is also consistent with what I have emphasized since these negotiations first started: namely the cuts will be greater than the increase to the debt limit and there will be no new taxes under this deal."

"Since 1962, the debt ceiling has been raised 74 times without any conditions. But with this new deal, the limit will be raised alongside substantial spending cuts including $1 Trillion now and $1.2 Trillion more based on recommendations of a special Congressional committee. This deal, while not perfect, is a fiscally sound solution to put an end to this spending-driven debt crisis and is only the beginning of a long term battle on government spending to protect our families and their future."

McIntyre statement on voting no on raising the debt ceiling
 

U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre released the following statement  regarding his vote against raising the nation’s debt ceiling:

“This bill does not meet the necessary tests to protect our financial security, our national security, and our personal security.

“First, by raising the debt ceiling once again, we are extending our nation’s credit card for additional debt and continuing the spending binge that we must stop.  We MUST rein in government spending.

“Second, we are risking our national security with arbitrary, harmful cuts that would undermine our force structure, capabilities, and the ability to provide for our national security, which is to 'provide the common defense’ that is our constitutional duty and is necessary for a free and strong United States.  Everyone must share in reductions in spending, but to specifically, and arbitrarily, slash our nation’s defense is not responsible.  As General Martin Dempsey, the current Army Chief of Staff who has been nominated to become the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, deep defense cuts would be 'extraordinarily difficult and very high risk.’

“And third, we are risking the personal security of many with the cuts to Medicare providers and our hospitals who are on the front lines serving so many who need help.

“These are risks that are too great, too serious, and too grave.  We can and we should do better for the security of our country.  This deal could have been done without arbitrarily risking these critical programs.”

Miller votes “no” on debt ceiling deal

U.S. Representative Brad Miller (NC-13) issued the following statement after tonight’s vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on the debt limit proposal:

“It’s hard to believe that just a decade ago Congress was debating what to do about the surplus. I opposed the irresponsible tax cuts of the last decade that created the deficit. Congress cut the taxes on the richest Americans by more than a third, and now working and middle-class families will suffer as a result.”

“Still, for many members, and I’m one of them, this was a close call. We could not let the nation default, but I certainly don’t want to vote for cuts without even knowing where the cuts will come from, and at a time when the cuts might well push our fragile economy back into recession.”

“I also hated to see tactics rewarded that were an embarrassment to our democracy.”

Rep. Shuler statement on bipartisan debt limit compromise
 

Today U.S. Representative Heath Shuler released the following statement after voting in favor of the bipartisan debt limit compromise:

“Allowing our nation to default on its obligations and jeopardizing the full faith and credit of the United States should never have been even remotely possible. Sadly however, some on the extreme right and left of the political spectrum were more committed to protecting their ideological purity than they were to protecting America’s best interests. That stubbornness has shaken the global financial markets and risked stalling our already fragile economic recovery. Today, at the eleventh hour, we were presented a path forward that ensures America continues to meet its obligations. This path is not the best possible path, but it does move us in the right direction, and to govern is to compromise. I am hopeful that the new Joint Committee will reflect the values of the majority of the American people, not just the partisans on both extremes. I look forward to working with the members of that Committee and members on both sides of the aisle committed to reducing spending and balancing the federal budget.”

The debt limit compromise passed the House by a margin of 269 to 161. 

 
Hagan on bipartisan agreement to avoid default, reduce debt

U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (NC) today commented on the bipartisan agreement that negotiators reached to avoid a default crisis.

“While the agreement reached by the bipartisan Congressional leaders and the White House might not be my first choice for a solution, there is no doubt that we need to get our fiscal house in order and avoid a default. This agreement averts a default crisis without relying on a short-term patch that would leave the markets in turmoil and harm our seniors, our veterans, or our military in the field. Though I would have preferred a bigger deal – balanced along the lines of the one outlined by the bipartisan deficit reduction commission chaired by North Carolina's Erskine Bowles and Senator Alan Simpson – this agreement is a good start.

“With our economy recovering too slowly, it is clear that we have spent too much time in Washington posturing and bickering when what we need to do is come together to get our economy back on track. I am hopeful that we can now focus relentlessly on putting Americans back to work. Jobs are priorities number one, two and three.”