Lobiondo, Runyan, Smith Back Debt Ceiling Hike

By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog

Capitol Building at night

Updated

Chris Smith (R-NJ05), Jon Runyan (R-NJ03), and Frank A. LoBiondo (R-NJ02) were among 28 House Republicans who voted with Democrats to pass a debt ceiling hike on Tuesday evening, Save Jerseyans, allowing the federal government to increase its borrowing limit through March 2015 without any conditions.

Leonard Lance (NJ-07) voted “no” and released the following statement:

“It is important that America pays its bills in-full and on-time.  And it is equally important that in doing so we live within our means.  Unfortunately the President’s most recent debt limit increase request to Congress does nothing to lower our national debt.  It is a blank check at a time when our country is in dire need of fiscal restraint.

“For more than 50 years U.S. presidents from Dwight Eisenhower and Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton have negotiated with Congress over the debt ceiling.  This has not been the case with Obama Administration.  It refuses to come to the table and work with congressional Republicans to lower the deficit and strengthen our country’s fiscal health.

Today, our gross national debt stands at a staggering $17.2 trillion, which is more than $140,000 per American household.  Since 2009, our national debt has increased by more than $6 trillion.  The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office this week said a growing federal debt increases the risk of a ‘fiscal crisis.’  And U.S. Admiral Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said our debt is ‘the biggest threat to our national security.’

“President Obama missed an opportunity to work with Congress to address the debt ceiling issue responsibly by failing to include serious spending reforms to reduce the deficit.”

Here’s a full list of the 28 Republicans who voted YEA:

Boehner
Calvert
Camp
Cantor
Coble
Collins (NY)
Dent
Fitzpatrick
Grimm
Hanna
Hastings (WA)
Issa
King (NY)
LoBiondo
McCarthy (CA)
McKeon
Meehan
Miller, Gary
Nunes
Reichert
Rogers (KY)
Roskam
Royce
Runyan
Shimkus
Smith (NJ)
Valadao
Wolf

Matt Rooney
About Matt Rooney 8405 Articles
MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com's founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of 'The Matt Rooney Show' on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.

4 Comments

  1. As soon as I heard the vote ,Neville chamberlain came to mind glad I wasn’t the only one to remember him(from history class) . At this point why have any debt limit ? Every time one is reached they raise it so is there a limit ? I always liked franking and hoped he had a line in the sand some where. But Neville chamberlain it is . Sad, very sad

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