Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Joe Donnelly released the following statement regarding S. 627, Speaker John Boehner’s plan for raising the debt limit.

“The debate about raising our nation’s debt limit continues to be a mess because too many legislators won’t agree to anything unless they get everything they want.  Compromise and bipartisanship are the way we get things done in this country, and that's what the Hoosiers I hear from want Congress to do—find a balanced solution.  

I will be voting against Speaker Boehner’s proposal today because it is not a balanced solution.  This bill, just like The Cut, Cap, and Balance Act that I voted against last week, all but ensures severe cuts to Social Security and Medicare.  Getting our nation’s fiscal house in order will require significant spending cuts, but this bill would ask seniors and the least among us to bear a disproportionate share of the burden while continuing to provide tax breaks for big oil companies and companies that ship jobs overseas.  

Time is running out, and I stand ready to support a fair, common-sense solution to this issue.  Unfortunately, the bill before me today is neither of these things.  Republicans and Democrats need to come together and agree on a serious, balanced solution that will prevent default and begin the process of restoring our nation’s fiscal health.”

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