Statement on Debt Ceiling Vote

Statement

Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) issued the following statement after voting against House Speaker John Boehner's debt ceiling legislation this evening. The bill includes only a short-term extension of the debt limit of about six months. It also requires both the House and Senate to approve a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, which members of both parties have said is not achievable, before passing a longer-term extension to prevent the United States from defaulting on its financial obligations.

"It is extremely disappointing that a day after the House Leadership could not rally Republican support for legislation destined to fail in the Senate, we voted today on legislation that moves further from compromise to appease an intractable group," said Langevin. "It puts our most vulnerable citizens at greater risk while continuing to offer only a short term fix that requires us to repeat this dangerous debate in a few months. We have divided government and the reality is that neither party can expect to act unilaterally on this issue. Many on both sides of the aisle in Congress and across this country have called for us to work together to resolve this crisis. I again urge everyone involved to put their differences aside, if not for good, then for long enough to agree on an approach to pay our nation's bills, reduce the deficit and give businesses and markets renewed confidence in the full faith and credit of the United States."

Source