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BOYLE LEADS CALL FOR FLOOR VOTE TO SOLVE DEBT CEILING CRISIS

October 25, 2021

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Brendan Boyle (D-PA) led a letter signed by more than 75+ members of the House Democratic Caucus to House Democratic leadership calling for legislative action to permanently solve the debt ceiling crisis, using only Democratic votes if necessary.

The House Members wrote:
"The toxic brinkmanship surrounding the debt limit occurs each time we either approach the dollar amount of the debt limit, or an enacted suspension of the debt limit is set to soon expire. At these junctures, our solutions to handle the debt limit are to either raise the limit or again enact a further suspension. Since Republicans in Congress have indicated they're unwilling to help avoid a default in December, we should seek a more permanent solution to avoid having to repeat this painful process in the future."

"Since Senate Republicans were only willing to agree to a short-term extension of the debt limit, we urge that you use the remaining few months to lay the legislative groundwork to permanently repeal the threat posed by the debt ceiling, using only Democratic votes if necessary."

Legislative options proposed by the Members include:
• Permanently repeal the federal debt limit, such as in Congressman Foster's H.R. 3305/S.1785 "End the Threat of Default Act" or Congressman Boyle's H.R. 1041.
• Authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to raise the debt limit unilaterally, such as in Congressman Boyle's H.R. 5415 "Debt Ceiling Reform Act."
• Automatically peg the debt limit to the actual U.S. debt incurred, plus a buffer to allow the issuance of new debt.
• Raise or suspend the debt limit to an amount or date sufficient to guarantee that the United States will not reach it in the foreseeable future.

A full copy of the letter is available HERE .

The letter is co-led by Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL-11), and has been signed by Reps. Donald S. Beyer Jr. (D-VA-08), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-03), Anthony Brown (D-MD-04), Julia Brownley (D-CA-26), Jamaal Bowman Ed.D. (D-NY-16), Andre Carson (D-IN-07), Sean Casten (D-IL-06), Judy Chu (D-CA-27), David N. Cicilline (D-RI-01), Yvette Clarke (D-NY-09), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO-05), Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA-11), Jim Costa (D-CA-16), Danny K. Davis (D-IL-07), Suzan DelBene (D-WA-01), Debbie Dingell (D-MI-12), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-35), Mike Doyle (D-PA-18), Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA-18), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13), Dwight Evans (D-PA-03), John Garamendi (D-CA-03), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34), Al Green (D-TX-09), Jim Himes (D-CT-04), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX-30), Ron Kind (D-WI-03), John B. Larson (D-CT-01), Barbara Lee (D-CA-13), Ted Lieu (D-CA-33), Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA-08), Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY-12), Doris Matsui (D-CA-06), James P. McGovern (D-MA-02), Jerry McNerney (D-CA-09), Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY-05), Grace Meng (D-NY-06), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10), Marie Newman (D-Il-03), Donald Norcross (D-NJ-01), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), David E. Price (D-NC-04), Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD-08), Bobby Rush (D-IL-01), Linda T. Sanchez (D-CA-38), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Darren Soto (D-FL-09), Tom Suozzi (D-NY-03), Eric Swalwell (D-CA-15), Dina Titus (D-NV-01), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13), Ritchie Torres (D-NY-15), Lori Trahan (D-MA-03), David Trone (D-MD-06), Juan Vargas (D-CA-51), Nydia M. Velazquez (D-NY-07), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12), Peter Welch (D-VT), Nikema Williams (D-GA-05), John A. Yarmuth (D-KY-03)
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