House Dems Plan to ‘Tax, Spend and Raise’ Some More

July 18, 2011

FYI, a similar version of this release below went out to the following districts: Jason Altmire (PA-04), Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Tim Bishop (NY-01), Dan Boren (OK-02), Leonard Boswell (IA-03), Bruce Braley (IA-01), Dennis Cardoza (CA-18), Russ Carnahan (MO-03), Ben Chandler (KY-06), David Cicilline (RI-01), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Jim Cooper (TN-05), Jim Costa (CA-20), Jerry Costello (IL-12), Mark Critz (PA-12), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Raul Grijalva (AZ-07), Brian Higgins (NY-27), Jim Himes (CT-04), Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15), Kathy Hochul (NY-26), Tim Holden (PA-17), Rush Holt (NJ-12), Steve Israel (NY-02), Bill Keating (MA-10), Dale Kildee (MI-05), Ron Kind (WI-03), Larry Kissell (NC-08), Rick Larsen (WA-02), David Loebsack (IA-02), Jim Matheson (UT-02), Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04), Mike McIntyre (NC-07), Jerry McNerney (CA-11), Michael Michaud (ME-02), Brad Miller (NC-13), Bill Owens (NY-23), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), Gary Peters (MI-09), Collin Peterson (MN-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), David Price (NC-04), Nick Rahall (WV-03), Mike Ross (AR-04), Loretta Sanchez (CA-47), Kurt Schrader (OR-05), Heath Shuler (NC-11), Adam Smith (WA-09), Betty Sutton (OH-13), John Tierney (MA-06), Niki Tsongas (MA-05), Pete Visclosky (IN-01), Tim Walz (MN-01), David Wu (OR-01), John Yarmuth (KY-03)

Holden Plans to ‘Tax, Spend and Raise’ Some More
Party Leaders Urge Pennsylvania Democrat to Oppose Substantial Fiscal Reforms This Week

Washington — Although efforts continue in Congress to institute meaningful reforms that will finally stop the disastrous fiscal policies coming from Washington, Tim Holden’s House Democrat leaders are now saying they are successfully building more support than ever before within their caucus to continue their spending and borrowing spree unabated. Does that mean Tim Holden is supporting their plans to block cut, cap and balance so that he can continue to tax, spend and raise the debt ceiling without any reforms?

“Tim Holden’s Democrat leaders in Washington are seeing their spending and borrowing spree threatened by real efforts that would force the government to only spend the money it has and live within its means,” said NRCC Communications Director Paul Lindsay. “If Holden decides to join them in opposing the cut, cap and balance plan, he would be fully endorsing their failed status quo that instead continues to tax, spend and raise the debt ceiling to allow more borrowing from foreign countries like China and placing that burden on future generations in Pennsylvania.”

Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) said he now has more support for a clean debt limit hike, free of any spending cuts or fiscal reform, than ever before:

“‘It’s looking like default or a clean extension,’ Welch said in an interview. He said he was getting support from ‘more and more Democrats, including some members who did not vote for the clean extension on the floor however many weeks ago…'” (Seung Min Kim, “Steny Hoyer: Dems would support a ‘clean’ debt ceiling vote,” Politico, 7/15/11)

And many of Holden’s fellow Blue Dog Democrats are now changing their long-time support for a balanced budget amendment under pressure from their party leaders:

“The president rejects it; House Democrats are whipping against it; and even the Blue Dogs – the conservative-leaning Democrats who support the notion of mandatory balanced budgets – are lining up to kill it.” (Mike Lillis, “Republican push for balanced budget amendment faces high hurdles in House,” The Hill, 7/18/11)

With his Democrat leaders claiming more support than ever for raising their ability to borrow without any spending reforms, does that mean Tim Holden is among those fighting to continue their reckless Washington spending spree? If Holden opposes yet another common-sense measure to reverse the Democrats’ big-government status quo in Washington, he would be demonstrating to his Pennsylvania constituents that his response to the nation’s exploding debt level is to tax, spend and raise the debt ceiling in order to borrow even more.

House Dems Plan to ‘Tax, Spend and Raise’ Some More http://ow.ly/5H5hd #madeinwdc

###