Dec. 5, 2012, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today praised Sen. Lindsey Graham’s warning to the Obama Administration that congressional Republicans are “not going to raise the debt ceiling ever againuntil we address what got us in debt, and that’s government spending and entitlement growth.”
“All Americans should thank Sen. Graham for taking such a strong stand. Americans for Limited Government urges his Republican colleagues in the House and Senate to follow his lead,” Wilson said, noting that without an increase in the $16.394 trillion debt ceiling, “Obama’s second term will be on hold.”
Graham’s call to action was heard on the nationally-syndicated Sean Hannity program on Dec. 4.
“By Sen. Graham’s own word, there will be no additional debt until this rogue administration is reined in. That is the right position for any responsible legislator to take. We need real reform now,” Wilson said, calling for the debt ceiling to be tied to making tax relief permanent, enacting entitlement reform, and balancing the budget within 10 years.
Graham, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, took Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to task for proposing that Congress eliminate the debt ceiling all together. “Suggesting that we never have a say about raising the debt limit again, that it be raised in perpetuity, when it’s a constitutional requirement that Congress only can borrow money, shows to me that he’s trying to create a situation for unlimited power rather than bipartisanship,” Graham said.
Wilson called Graham “absolutely correct,” adding “the debt limit is the one check on the government’s power to borrow unlimited amounts of money. It is time Congress use that check against Obama before it is too late.”
“Obama wants an unlimited credit card. Instead, Republicans should freeze his account,” Wilson charged.
The debt ceiling was last raised in August 2011 by $2.1 trillion, the largest such increase ever, and the Obama Administration has burnt through all of that in just 16 months.
By 2022, the national debt will soar to $26 trillion under the current baseline.
Wilson concluded, “Left unchecked, the debt will consume us. This is the hill for Republicans stand and fight on. It’s now or never to rein in unchecked government borrowing, before the debt is so large it cannot be refinanced, let alone repaid and drowns out any chance at real growth and prosperity.”
Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.
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