Washington, DC— Today, Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04) issued the following statement after voting for the Bipartisan Budget Agreement, which passed the House by a vote of 314-117.
“Passing this bill was an unfortunate necessity to prevent the United States from defaulting on our debt for the first time in history. Default would have devastated our economy by disrupting global capital markets, throwing millions out of work, and sending the signal that the United States is a deadbeat nation. But let me be clear: the negotiations of the past few weeks are a failure of our institution. A true democracy cannot exist where an extreme minority holds the rest of the government hostage, threatening to rip lifesaving care from our sick, our elderly, and the men and women who risked their lives fighting for this nation. It is time to end debt-ceiling brinksmanship.
“I am grateful to President Biden and the Democratic Congressional leadership for pursuing the compromise that prevents catastrophe, but it should not have had to come to this. Moving forward, we must abolish the debt ceiling and debate each policy issue for its independent value without threatening the full faith and credit of the United States’ economy.”
For more information contact nora.kohli@mail.house.gov.