Lawmaker: Shameful to attach debt lift bill to bill for troops

WASHINGTON – Congressman Leonard Lance (NJ-07), who has led the congressional charge for a clean up-or-down vote on any congressional action to raise the federal debt ceiling, today called on Congress to reject efforts to attach raising the national debt to a key funding bill for U.S. troops.

“It’s shameful to use a funding bill for our troops as a tool to pass legislation that cannot stand on its own merit,” said Lance, who is one of the leading congressional advocates for debt reduction. “Congress needs to have a serious debate about the debt, deficits and spending and attaching the debt lift to a key bill for troops does a disservice to all Americans and is disrespectful to our troops. It’s my hope Speaker Pelosi will heed both Democratic and Republican calls for a clean bill. ”

In a letter to Pelosi, Lance and scores of House Republicans criticized the Speaker of the House for using a funding bill for U.S. troops as vehicles to pass a measure that could not pass on its own.

“We object to maneuvers to use our troops as leverage to enact proposals that the Majority either cannot pass on their own or for which they wish to avoid directly voting on and we will oppose a Defense Appropriations package that includes such provisions,” the lawmakers wrote.

“Unfortunately, there seems to be pattern developing this year of using legislation that supports our men and women in uniform to pass other contentious proposals that are extraneous to our troops. We should supply those who risk their lives for our country with the resources they need without conditions and without using them to accomplish other legislative goals. House Republicans stand ready to help the Majority enact a defense bill that meets the needs of our troops, but we will not assist your effort to use the troops to enact an increase in our national debt limit so as to finance the irresponsible spending policies of your party.”

Lance, a member of the House Financial Services Committee and one of Congress’ leading voices on reducing our national debt said last month that he would not support an increase in the nation's debt ceiling without corresponding action to address the country's long term fiscal imbalances.

“I support bipartisan, bicameral efforts to pass legislation creating a special process to deal with the long-term budget problems facing the U.S. Government,” Lance said. “As such I will vote against a needed increase in the limit the federal government can borrow unless Congress puts forth proposals to bring the deficit and debt under control.”

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