The Congressional Black Caucus’s Position on the Debt Ceiling No Cuts, No Cap, Just Raise
Washington, DC – Today, the Democratic Members of the Congressional Black Caucus officially took a position in support of a clean bill to raise the debt ceiling. Chairman Emanuel Cleaver released the following statement below:
“Let us remove every partisan reason to fight. Every rational American understands the need to pay our national debt. It is reckless to play Russian Roulette with our economy and with the solvency of our great nation. Democratic Members of the Congressional Black Caucus support a clean bill to raise the debt ceiling. We have run out of time between now and August 2nd to hash out a well thought out plan to address the debt ceiling, deficit reduction and revenue increases. Members of the Caucus are disappointed that some have used this debate as a distraction from the real crisis Americans continue to face every day— joblessness. We must reduce the deficit with a fair, and balanced approach that includes both revenues and spending cuts. Until we can achieve such a plan, we must raise the debt ceiling to give the markets certainty, avoid more disarray and prevent irresponsible cuts. We cannot in good conscience support bills that require draconian cuts that disproportionately affect the most vulnerable communities. Yesterday we learned of the ever-widening wealth gap between white Americans and minorities. We cannot support anything that will further handicap those in our community. We all agree that we have to responsibly to reduce the deficit but not on the backs of hard-working American families, all while protecting special interests and the wealthiest Americans. People of color, seniors, and children heavily rely on vital programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Deep cuts to these critical programs would devastate our community.
“Now is the time for real work to be done, jobs to be created, and to protect and uplift our citizens. It is not the time for ideological wars. It is time to cut and cap the political games!”
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