Congressman Andy Barr (KY-06) today voted against legislation that will raise the debt limit, hike government spending, and reauthorize the national flood insurance program without any reforms through mid-December.
“Earlier this week, I voted in favor of a $7.85 billion targeted package to support relief and recovery efforts in response to Hurricane Harvey,” said Congressman Barr. “That bill, which was an appropriate emergency response to the disaster in Texas and Louisiana, passed nearly unanimously in the House and should have been quickly approved by the Senate and sent to the President without political games.”
“Unfortunately, that non-controversial legislation was modified to include non-emergency spending, increase the debt limit, and reauthorize the bankrupt national flood insurance program without reforms.”
“It is unfair to young and future generations of Americans to raise the debt ceiling without enacting any reforms that would address the nation's spending addiction. The national debt has doubled over the past decade and I did not run for Congress to treat the debt limit as a mere speed bump along the road to national bankruptcy. It is particularly disturbing that this deal was sold as hurricane disaster relief but does absolutely nothing to reform our bankrupt National Flood Insurance Program which, before these hurricanes, was $25 billion in debt, is actuarially unsound, will soon require another taxpayer bailout and incentivizes people to build and live in harm’s way.”
“I strongly support providing targeted, paid-for and fiscally responsible disaster relief, and I voted to do so earlier this week. I also recognize the need to raise debt limit and honor the obligations of the United States. But simply blowing through the debt ceiling and kicking the can down the road with literally no offsets or fiscal reforms is exactly why our nation is rapidly approaching a debt crisis.”