House Republican leadership turns power of the purse over to the White House
Jan. 23, 2013, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today issued the following statement blasting the House of Representatives for suspending the debt ceiling until May 19, 2013 through passage of H.R. 325:
“This is a partial repeal of representative government. Through the elimination of the debt ceiling, even just until May 19, the American people now have no say in the amount of debt the government contracts. The only say whatsoever representatives had on the some 60 percent of the $3.7 trillion budget that operates on autopilot, which includes Social Security, Medicare, and other forms of so-called ‘mandatory’ spending, was the periodic vote on increasing the debt ceiling.
“Now that it has been suspended, the debt ceiling may never be reinstated. All the Senate needs to do now come May 19 is again threaten default should the debt ceiling suspension not be indefinitely extended. Under those circumstances, House Republican leadership is likely to fold under even the slightest pressure.
“That said, Republican leadership has gotten what they want. Now the onus is on them to deliver the spending cuts that were promised. That means, in the continuing resolution debate in March, the 10-year pathway to a balanced budget must be included. That means, the ‘Full Faith and Credit Act,’ which would prioritize interest payments in the event the debt ceiling is ever reached, must be passed. That means the budget sequester passed in 2011 must be kept in place.
“And it means, come May 19, the debt ceiling must be reinstated. Otherwise, House Republicans will have ceded their constitutional authority over fiscal matters to the executive, marking an end to representative government in any true sense.”
Interview Availability: Please contact Robert Romano at (703) 383-0880 ext. 106 or at robert@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.
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