By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Thursday, October 29, U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R from Alabama) spoke on the Senate floor opposing the bipartisan two-year budget agreement.
Senator Shelby said, “Mr. President, I rise today in strong opposition to the two-year budget agreement before the Senate today. “This so-called budget “deal” was negotiated at the last minute and is now being rushed through Congress with inadequate time for proper scrutiny.”
Sen. Shelby said, “This budget agreement would increase the current Budget Control Act spending caps, which were enacted in 2011 in an effort to restrain Washington spending, by approximately $80 billion over the next two years.” “Not only would this agreement allow for increased spending, but it would also raise the debt ceiling through March 2017, adding an estimated $1.5 trillion of borrowing.”
Sen. Shelby continued, “The deal before us today represents a victory for President Obama and his liberal allies – not for the American people. As long as Washington continues to spend far beyond its means and remain on the same unsustainable fiscal path, our economy will suffer While I believe that we should safeguard the full faith and credit of the United States, I also believe that we should do so in a manner that puts our nation on a more responsible fiscal path.”
Shelby said, “There is absolutely no excuse for continuing to increase our nation’s debt that will fall on the backs of future generations – our children and grandchildren. Americans are frustrated that Congress continues to push policies that empower Washington instead of the people of this great country, and this deal is more of the same. That is why I adamantly oppose this budget deal, and will continue to fight for a smaller, more effective government that puts the American people first.”
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R from Alabama) agrees with Sen. Shelby. He said, “This is a covert, a clever way of raising the debt ceiling without having to engage in a real discussion of Washington’s runaway spending problem,” he said. “It ensures that no further serious conversation about our debt course or any corresponding action to alter it will take place.”
Congressman Mo Brooks (R from Huntsville) said that this is a, “Last-second debt ceiling deal that fails the American people by refusing to fix the underlying problem: out-of-control deficits. America suffers from an $18 trillion debt, the worst in history. This 144-page debt ceiling bill blows America’s debt through the $19 trillion mark and increases the risk of an American government insolvency and bankruptcy.”
The deal has already passed the House and appears likely to pass the Senate.
