Austin News

Washington, D.C. – On May 31, U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) voted to lift the debt ceiling and prevent a national default, which would have created an economic catastrophe. Before the vote, Rep. Doggett spoke on the House Floor to express his dissatisfaction with the deal but reiterate the importance of assuring that the full faith and credit of the United States is upheld. The legislation now heads to the Senate with sufficient time for final approval by the June 5 deadline. 

To watch Rep. Doggett’s full remarks, click here. 

Rep. Doggett’s remarks, as delivered, are below: 

Protecting our country’s full faith and credit requires accepting some unacceptable Republican demands.

As one cartoonist aptly described them, Republicans suffer from a form of Deficit Attention Disorder.

You see, when Democrats are in charge, they are absolutely obsessed with deficits but give them a little power, and their attention--poof—it just magically vanishes as they begin to deplete the Treasury with tax gifts for the well-connected. Like their multi-trillion-dollar Trump tax giveaway, they’re already planning in coming days to soon borrow more to reward those at the top.

Their boundless affection for tax cheats and for tax expenditures may increase the debt by even more, than the cuts that they make today in education, health, and environmental protection, which are so wrong. 

As climate deniers, these Republicans sought to repeal our Climate law and were held to one pipeline and a weakening of environmental review laws—a troubling setback that we can overcome. We should be leaping forward instead of moving slowly. 

Ransom paid. America protected.

Original source can be found here.