WHEN GIVEN THE CHANCE TO ATTACH SPENDING CAPS TO A DEBT CEILING INCREASE – GEORGE ALLEN SAID NO THANKS.
On the campaign trail, George Allen tells voters he’s for “ironclad spending cuts.” What he doesn’t tell them is, when given the chance to vote for those “ironclad spending cuts," he stood with Republicans against legislation that would have required Congress to spend only what it could pay for. And, then voted for a debt ceiling increase. And then did it again. And again. And again. Kaine for Virginia spokeswoman Brandi Hoffine released the following statement:
“George Allen’s record tells voters everything they need to know. If, in 2003, Allen and his fellow Republicans had supported pay-as-you-go legislation with the debt ceiling increase he voted for, we wouldn’t be in this mess. Instead, Allen said ‘no thanks’ and then voted not once, not twice, but four times to increase the debt ceiling while also voting to add more than $3 trillion to the federal debt. And, now Allen’s fighting to protect tax breaks for wealthy individuals and corporations while asking middle class Americans to bear the burden of his so-called ‘spending cuts.’
“George Allen helped make this mess, refused to fix it and then made it worse. Now, he wants a ticket back to Washington to try again? No thanks.”
Allen Voted to Raise the Debt Limit Four Times. [Vote 148, 6/11/02; Vote 202, 5/23/03; Vote 213, 11/17/04; Vote 54, 3/16/06]
2003: Allen Voted Against Amendment to Debt Limit Legislation That Would Have Restored Pay-As-You-Go Rules. In 2003, Allen voted against an amendment to legislation raising the debt ceiling that would have required the Senate to return to pay-as-you-go budget rules. The amendment was sponsored by Senator Feingold and co-sponsored by Senators Carper, Cantwell and Feinstein. The amendment failed 47-52. Republicans John McCain and Olympia Snowe joined with 44 Democrats and 1 independent (Jeffords) to vote in favor or restoring pay-as-you-go rules. [S.Amdt 835 to HR Res 51, Vote 200, 5/23/03]
“Pay-As-You-Go” Budget Rules Would Have Restrained Deficit Spending When Debt Limit Was Raised in 2003. The USA Today reported, “After delivering President Bush a political victory with more tax cuts, Congress will return next week to face the costs: soaring federal deficits and the loss of its own fiscal discipline. . . . Every dollar of the $350 billion package will be paid for with more federal borrowing. As if to illustrate the point, the Senate turned immediately Friday from the tax cut to a $984 billion increase in the amount the federal government can borrow. Ironically, the same tax-cut package could not have been passed when Bush's father was president. Nor would it have been possible if the ‘Republican Revolution’ that swept Democrats from control of the House of Representatives in 1994 had delivered on its promise to impose new fiscal restraints on government. The first Bush presidency came at a time of widespread political fear over the growth of federal budget deficits. Congress and the White House put limits on the annual growth of government spending and required revenue losses, including tax cuts, to be offset by tax or fee increases or spending reductions. That pay-as-you-go philosophy was enshrined in a budget rule, dubbed ‘pay-go.’” [USA Today, 5/27/03]
PolitiFact: Allen Voted to Raise the Debt Ceiling Four Times, Increased National Debt By Over $3 Trillion. PolitiFact Virginia wrote, “Radtke said debt increased by $3 trillion during Allen’s Senate term, a figure equal to $16,000 per second. The actual figures were $3.202 trillion, or $16,896.68 per second. She alsosaid Allen voted to increase the debt ceiling four times, and she’s right.” [Richmond Times-Dispatch, PolitiFact Virginia, 4/12/11]
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