As the parties remain divided on debt ceiling talks, Connecticut’s slate of Democratic Congress members are blasting the “Boehner Bill,” calling it a partisan plan that would cripple the American economy.
U.S. Rep Chris Murphy tweeted on Friday morning that “GOP holdouts asking for big cuts in college aid.”
“Republicans have to stop trying to jam their ideological wish-list through Congress, and come back to the table to work with Democrats to get a reasonable bill that we can all support,” Murphy posted on Facebook. “By tearing apart Medicare, cutting Medicaid benefits, and jeopardizing Social Security, while protecting tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, this bill couldn't be further from the balanced approach to deficit reduction that my constituents want.”
The government faces the prospect of an economy-shaking default if Congress doesn't raise the debt limit by Tuesday. President Barack Obama said on Friday that any solution to avoid default must be bipartisan and not coming together could mean that the U.S. will lose its top credit rating in default and urged people to continue to pressure Congress.
“Last night's fiasco is perfect example why Boehner's bill is wrong choice. Short-term extension puts us in same place six months from now,” U.S. Rep Joe Courtney tweeted on Friday morning.
U.S. Rep. John Larson compared this type of ruling like this is a “third world country.”
“We in America, the preeminent military, economic and cultural leaders in the world, are governing like we're a third world country,” Larson said in a written statement on Thursday. “Sad is the American public who looks in at this and recognizes that it's theater, except that it's become the theater of the absurd. In a frail recovery where Americans are already overburdened, what we have in front of us is a manufactured ideological crisis.”
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U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro said Republicans are holding “the American economy hostage” to press and agenda that will cost jobs and undermine the economy.
“Even though the debt ceiling was raised seven times under President Bush, even though 110 current members of the majority have voted to raise the debt ceiling in the past, the majority continues its dangerous game of brinkmanship,” DeLauro, said in a written statement.
Raising the debt ceiling “is something that simply must be done,” and it has been done before, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, a Democrat, said in a written statement on his Web site.
Larson agreed.
“Eighteen times the debt ceiling was raised for Ronald Reagan, eight times for George Bush, because they would never stand in this body to see a default on the full faith and credit of the United States”: Larson said. “We need not go through this ideological hostage situation. Why are we holding the American people hostage? Let's put America back to work. We’re a better nation; we’re a better body than that.”
House Republicans said they would change stalled legislation to avoid a national default in hopes of gaining the votes needed to pass it as early as Friday.
