Kinzinger statement on debt-ceiling bill passage

Princeton, Illinois' 11th
congressional district

The revised Budget Control Act passed the House of Representatives by a surprisingly comfortable margin, 269-161. But the biggest surprise was the return of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), who has her first vote since getting shot in January. She voted "aye," as did Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), a Tea Party freshman whose 11th congressional district covers part of my beloved southern suburbs of Chicago.

From a Kinzinger press release:

Over the course of seven months, House Republicans have changed the conversation in Washington from where to spend, to where to cut and how much. This legislation reverses the failed trajectory of our country.

The bipartisan approach forces Washington to maintain a strong focus on cutting spending and includes much of the same framework as the House-passed bill. It cuts more spending than the increase in the debt limit and it does not raise any taxes.

I share many of the same concerns as our senior military commanders who have expressed apprehension over the possibility of deep cuts to our national defense. In order to preserve the security of our country, it is imperative that there are members with a formidable national security background included on the the joint committee. Our Department of Defense cannot tolerate additional significant cuts.

"This legislation is a realistic approach and another step in putting our nation on the path towards fiscal responsibility. No one walked away from the debt limit plan with everything they wanted. However, in order to protect the full faith and credit of our country, Washington must act on behalf of the American people, not on according to partisan politics.

Ultimately, failure to increase the debt ceiling or raising taxes on job creators would create an economic catastrophe, hampering investments and placing far greater difficulty on nearly one in ten of our neighbors throughout Illinois who are struggling to find a job. Defaulting on our debt or raising taxes in a downward economy are simply not options. This legislation prevents a national default which otherwise threatens our financial growth as well as the national security of our country.

The new bill, which the Senate will vote on at 12:00pm noon tomorrow, cuts or controls spending by $917 billion over ten years. It will mark the deepest spending cuts since the end of World War II.

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