Politics & Government

Debt Ceiling Bill: How They Voted

Reps. Gerlach and Meehan, and Sen. Casey voted in favor of the eleventh-hour legislation; Sen. Toomey opposed it.

Minutes after a bi-partisan compromise bill to raise the debt ceiling by more than $2 trillion passed the U.S. Senate, members of both parties took their talking points to the voters.

The President signed the bill, renewing a call for a "balanced" approach to solving the nation's debt crisis through a combination of spending cuts and tax increases. The White House immediately began talking about creating jobs.

In a 74-26 vote, the U.S. Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would increase the debt-ceiling limit and cut spending.

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, the House of Representatives passed the bill 269-161.

The bill was signed by President Barack Obama today. If you’re wondering how your Congressmen voted, here’s the rundown of those who represent the Malvern area:

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Bob Casey (D), Pennsylvania Senior Senator — voted YES

Pennsylvania Senior Senator Bob Casey (D) echoed the same theme in a statement posted on his website shortly after the vote. The Casey statement reads:

“This compromise isn’t perfect, but it does avoid default and includes significant spending cuts to help put our fiscal house in order. Today, a compromise to avoid default and to avoid more economic pain came down to the wire. There is enough uncertainty in the economy without Washington adding more.  This is no way to govern.

“It is time for Washington to put aside partisan politics and work to solve the problems facing Pennsylvania and the United States. In the past few weeks more bad economic news has shown the fragility of the recovery. There are still 479,000 Pennsylvanians out of work and economic growth has slowed.  Spurring job creation and protecting Pennsylvania manufacturers from unfair trade practices must be back on the agenda.

“We need to jump start job creation now.”

Pat Toomey (R), Pennsylvania Freshman Senator — voted NO

Freshman Republican Sen. Pat Toomey voted against the deal. His press secretary, Rebecca Neal, told Patch via a phone interview from the senator’s Washington D.C. office that Toomey was expected to release a statement late Tuesday about the vote. 

But in a press release on Monday he stated he would not be voting for the bill.

“Our government is heading for a fiscal crisis. We have doubled spending since 2000. Our deficits are now more than $1.4 trillion per year, and our debt has reached a stunning $14.3 trillion,” Toomey stated. 

"Unfortunately, the debt ceiling deal announced last night does nothing to deal with the path of our government's unsustainable deficit spending. For fiscal year 2012, this legislation will only cut two-tenths of 1 percent of total spending. Not only will our debt grow each year under this plan, it will continue to grow even as a percentage of our economy.”

Jim Gerlach (R-PA 6), U.S. Representative — voted YES

Minutes after the U.S. House voted to approve a measure to raise the federal debt ceiling by more than two trillion dollars, Representative Jim Gerlach (R-PA 6) issued a statement explaining why he voted in favor of the bill.

The e-mailed statement from Gerlach’s office stated:

"Prolonged uncertainty and higher taxes are the last things that people looking for work and those concerned about holding onto their jobs need right now. This legislation ends weeks of uncertainty about whether the United States would default for the first time in our history. No one wanted to risk sending interest rates soaring and making it even harder to create jobs and help businesses grow. Equally important is the fact that Congress will not raise taxes on Pennsylvania families and employers. 

"And unlike past votes to raise the debt ceiling, Congress is not handing the President a blank check because spending will be cut by a greater amount than the borrowing limit increases. This legislation creates an opportunity for real reforms, including clearing the way for a vote on amending the Constitution to require a balanced federal budget.

"Finally, it is important to remember that the work of House Republicans to eliminate wasteful Washington spending did not begin with this debt limit debate. Clearly, our job of making Washington live within its means is far from finished with this vote.”

Pat Meehan (R-PA 7), U.S. Representative — voted YES

At 3:25 p.m. Monday, Meehan's office released a statement from the Congressman supporting the bill. Meehan statement reads:

“I am pleased that today we can vote for legislation that will end a period of extreme uncertainty for seniors, taxpayers and small businesses. The debt limit debate has created terrible uncertainty about Social Security payments and military pay. It threatened America’s credit, jeopardizing the ability of families to purchase a home and small businesses to create jobs.

“Throughout the debt limit negotiations, I have consistently pushed for a responsible solution. I believe that the Obama-Boehner-Reid agreement – although not perfect – is a serious and substantive effort to rein in our out-of-control spending and establish long-term deficit savings. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office just confirmed that this agreement will cut our deficit by at least $2.1 trillion over the next 10 years.

“Similar to the bill passed by the House last week, this new agreement will cut spending more than it increases the debt limit while implementing caps on future spending. Just like Senator Reid’s proposal, it includes no new taxes on Pennsylvania families or job creators. A 12-member Joint Committee will be charged with securing a minimum of $1.2 trillion in additional spending reductions. I am pleased that this agreement also contains a measure to require the House and Senate to vote on a Balanced Budget Amendment that will, should it pass both Houses, then give each state legislature a voice in this debate.

“Over the last week, I have heard from thousands of my constituents across the 7th district, and the resounding message was that they wanted a responsible resolution that protects our economy, preserves promised benefits and tackles our exploding debt. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to put the needs of families and seniors, as well as the economic and fiscal health of this country, above petty partisanship and support this responsible, bipartisan agreement.”


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