Representative Mike Kelly Votes in Support of Cut, Cap, and Balance Act of 2011

Representative Mike Kelly Votes in Support of Cut, Cap, and Balance Act of 2011

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (PA-03) issued the following statement on his  vote tonight in support of the Cut, Cap, and Balance Act of 2011 (H.R. 2560):

“During discussions last week over proposals to increase the debt ceiling, President Obama told Members of Congress to ‘eat your peas.’ What he really meant was pick your poison.

“Even though he has not put forward a written proposal that could be scored by the Congressional Budget Office and debated in Congress, in recent months the president has offered a variety of solutions to managing our debt, including a clean vote to raise the debt ceiling without any strings attached, which was roundly rejected, and a vague plan to cut spending while raising taxrates on small businesses and families.

“This plan to increase taxratesflies in the face of President Obama’s own admission that, ‘You don’t raise taxes in a recession,’ a claim he made in 2009while touting his failed $800 billion stimulus plan.

“As the American people know all too well, we are knee deep in a recession and the president should follow his own advice and realize that raising tax ratesis not the answer to our $14.3 trillion debt. Considering the fact that the U.S. currently spends $3.7 trillion annually and brings in only $2.12 trillion per year, new taxes could not possibly bridge the difference and do so without destroying jobs and obliterating our economy.

“So when the president tells us to ‘eat our peas,’ he’s also asking the American people to swallow the bitter pill of failure that his policies will bring about if we don’t act now.

“The Cut, Cap, and Balance Act of 2011 is the only clear and comprehensive measure put forward to address Washington’s spending addiction and reduce the tremendous burden of debt we are placing on our children and grandchildren.

“I am not going to tell the president what he should or shouldn’t eat on his plate.

“What I’m telling him to do is to put the welfare of our great nation before his reelection efforts and support something that is intrinsically good for the country and our economy, and that’s to cut spending now, cap spending in the future, and balance the budget permanently through an amendment to the Constitution.”

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