Hall Votes District, Expresses Concern with Budget Control Act

Statement

Today Rep. Ralph Hall (TX-04) voted his District when he voted against the Budget Control Act of 2011, which passed the House, 269-161. The bill passed with 66 Republicans joining Rep. Hall in voting "no." Following the vote, Hall released the following statement:

"Last Friday I voted with a majority in the House for Speaker Boehner's Budget Control Act. While the bill wasn't perfect, I voted for it in order to keep negotiations going and force the Senate to act. The following day, I voted with a majority against Senate Leader Reid's bill because its debt ceiling increase far outweighed spending cuts, and the Democratic bill was full of phony 'savings.'

"Throughout these negotiations, I hoped for a bill that would make significant spending cuts exceeding the debt limit increase, but would not compromise on the demands of my District. I have been in constant personal and telephone contact with constituents, receiving calls and emails and listening to the concerns of those I represent as the bill was being debated. Many of my constituents called and wrote their opposition.

"It was a tough vote, in that Speaker Boehner (R-OH) and Majority Leader Cantor (R-VA) had outworked Senate Leader Reid and Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and made the bill more palatable to our conservative nation.

"While I respect the Leadership for their efforts in getting us the best deal they could in this debt negotiation process, a deal which is better than I thought possible, I could not, in good conscience, vote in favor of a bill that the majority of my constituents who contacted me did not support.

"This new bill weakens the possible passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment, and also presents serious risks to Defense funding, which could endanger our troops and our national security. However, there are good provisions in the bill, including immediate spending cuts and no tax hikes. The bill does not affect Medicare, redirects our country slowly to a path of more fiscal responsibility, and also avoids the potential impact of a federal default.

"We need to come together and work to cut spending to create jobs and grow our economy. I will continue to represent my District and the demands of the American people by focusing on these goals."

Source