GOPers Explain Why Congress Needs to Pay Our Bills
A growing number of Republicans are downplaying the significance of next week’s default deadline. Frighteningly, these default deniers are also downplaying the catastrophic economic impact of defaulting on our obligations, be they to bondholders, seniors, veterans, or millions of others.
It was not always this way. In fact, some of today’s most ardent opponents of a clean bill to take the threat of default off the table were among the most ardent supporters of raising the debt limit under President George W. Bush.
Here they are, in their own words (click through to watch):
As ThinkProgress notes, nearly $4 TRILLION of debt limit increases were routine matters under President Bush:
Boehner, Cantor, and the GOP leadership voted for five separate debt limit increases during George W. Bush’s presidency, requiring no similar concessions.
In November 2004, 104 Republican Representatives and Senators who are still serving today voted for an $800 billion increase in the federal debt ceiling, with no strings attached. Other increases in 2002, 2003, 2006, and 2007, requested by the Bush administration, were enthusiastically backed by his Republican allies.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Joint Economic Committee Kevin Brady (R-TX), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI), Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), and Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) were among the most vocal supporters of debt limit increases between 2002 and 2006. They defended an increase as not only necessary, but also a basic matter of responsibility and good governance.
BOTTOM LINE: It’s time for Republicans to follow their own advice and agree to pay the bills Congress has already racked up in order to avoid an unprecedented and catastrophic default on our obligations.