Washington
(Dec 14, 2009)
WASHINGTON, DC – House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement after House Republicans sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) expressing strong opposition to using the annual spending bill that funds our troops and our national defense as a vehicle to raise the national debt limit:
“It is shameful that during a time of war, Democrats are using our troops as leverage to raise the national debt limit. This ploy has the dangerous effect of pitting our troops against the future generations who will have to bear the burden of this enormous debt Democrats are racking up.
“Throughout the year, Republicans have strongly supported President Obama’s strategies in Iraq and Afghanistan only to have Democrats drag their feet on the resources our troops need. In June, it was for a $108 billion global bailout scheme, and now, it’s for a nearly $2 trillion increase in the national debt limit. This is a bad way of doing business, and it does a great disservice to our servicemembers and their families, who should never have to question whether their elected representatives stand with them shoulder-to-shoulder. I urge Speaker Pelosi and Democratic leaders to reconsider and work with Republicans to ensure this essential measure is approved with bipartisan support.
“We now know just how far out-of-touch Washington Democrats are willing to go in order to avoid being held accountable for their abysmal economic record. If only they could bring the same level of commitment to tackling the immediate challenges facing the American people.”
NOTE: On October 28, President Obama said, “our defense budget isn’t about politics, it’s about the security of our country.” The text of House Republicans’ letter to Speaker Pelosi is available here and follows:
December 11, 2009
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Madam Speaker,
We write today to express our strong opposition to reports that the Democrat Majority is considering attaching unrelated and extremely controversial proposals, such as an increase in the public debt limit, to the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Appropriations bill. We object to maneuvers to use our troops as leverage to enact proposals that the Majority either cannot pass on their own or for which they wish to avoid directly voting on and we will oppose a Defense Appropriations package that includes such provisions.
Unfortunately, there seems to be a pattern developing this year of using legislation that supports our men and women in uniform to pass other contentious proposals that are extraneous to our troops. We should supply those who risk their lives for our country with the resources they need without conditions and without using them to accomplish other legislative goals.
House Republicans stand ready to help the Majority enact a defense bill that meets the needs of our troops, but we will not assist your effort to use the troops to enact an increase in our national debt limit so as to finance the irresponsible spending policies of your party.
Sincerely,
174 Members of the House Republican Conference