Congressman Phil Gingrey, MD Georgia's 11th district

Washington -

Congressman Phil Gingrey (GA-11) today issued the following statement after the passage of S. 365, the bill to provide for an increase in the debt limit.

“I commend our leadership for so steadfastly pursuing a deal that results in spending cuts that exceed the level of the debt ceiling increase.  Since Republicans took over the House, the tenor in Washington has changed from how much are we going to spend to how much are we going to cut.  This is a victory in and of itself for the American people.

However, I am firmly committed to the principles of Cut, Cap and Balance, and while this bill moves the ball in the right direction, it does not make the debt ceiling increase contingent upon passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment.  It further concerns me that tax increases could come into play as the newly created commission formulates its proposal and that the Department of Defense could be disproportionately affected by the process of sequestration. While I applaud some aspects of this agreement, I believe that this is the time to amend our Constitution to ensure Washington starts living within its means and I encourage my colleagues to continue advancing this principle."


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