Wicker Votes to Block Debt Ceiling Increase

Statement

U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) today voted to block the President's request to increase the federal debt ceiling by $1.2 trillion.

"With a federal debt of more than $15 trillion, we must stop spending money we do not have," said Wicker. "President Obama has promised to cut the deficit but continues to call for more spending, and Senate Democrats have failed to propose a budget for more than 1,000 days. Their decision to ignore the problem is dangerous. The borrowing required to keep the government running is a threat not only to our economy but to our national security as well."

Sixty votes were required to bring the President's request to the floor for an up or down vote. The vote failed 44-52.

Last year, Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called America's debt "the greatest threat to our national security." Testifying at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, he said, "If we as a country do not address our fiscal imbalances in the near-term, our national power will erode, and the costs to our ability to maintain and sustain influence could be great."

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