Fix the Debt, Not the Ceiling
Friend,
In an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal titled “Why I Won’t Vote to Raise the Debt Limit,” I stated that, “Our generation’s greatest challenge is an economy that isn’t growing, alongside a national debt that is.”
Though these words are all-too-relevant to our current national conversation, this op-ed wasn’t published today, nor yesterday, nor last week. It was published nearly two years ago, in March of 2011.
Sadly, what I said then is now more urgent than ever. President Obama and Congress have since added over $2 trillion to our now $16 trillion national debt. As if this weren’t enough, our leaders are once again demanding that Congress raise the legal limit that we are allowed to borrow.
When will Washington learn its lesson? America needs tax reform, spending cuts and reformed entitlement programs, not more debt. Unless we take fundamental steps to mend our economy, we’ll soon be asked to raise the debt ceiling again. And again after that. And so on, until our economy is crushed beyond repair under the weight of our unpaid bills.
When I wrote the Wall Street Journal op-ed I was still in my first months as a US Senator. If there is one thing I’ve learned in the months and years since, it’s that Washington never changes unless patriots like you demand that it change.
The current conversation about the debt limit is more than just a problem, it’s a crucial opportunity. Conservatives have a chance to bring our unsustainable spending into the forefront of the American conscience.
Thank you for standing with me in this effort. Together, we’ll get this country back on track.
Proud to Stand,
Marco