WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, has informed President Obama that he will vote “no” on the president’s request to raise the debt ceiling:

“In February 2010, you created the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform to make recommendations on how best to address our fiscal situation in the short and long term,” Sen. Moran said to President Obama. “The Commission’s work marked an important first step on the path forward, but none of their recommendations to improve the fiscal outlook were included in your FY2012 budget proposal. Your administration has also been notably absent from important budget discussions in Congress over the past few months.

“Americans are looking for leadership in Washington to confront the problems of today, not push them off on future generations,” he continued. “To date, you have provided little or no leadership on what I believe to be the most important issue facing our nation – our national debt. With no indication that your willingness to lead will change, I want to inform you I will vote ‘no’ on your request to raise the debt ceiling.”

The full text of Sen. Moran’s letter to President Obama is included below, and can be viewed on Sen. Moran’s website.

 

March 22, 2011

President Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Obama: 

Our country is facing enormous fiscal challenges, which left unchecked will have a disastrous impact on the future of our nation. For too long, members of both political parties have ignored this growing fiscal crisis and allowed our country to live well beyond its means.

Our national debt now stands at more than $14 trillion – slowing our economic growth and threatening the prosperity of future generations who will have to pay for our irresponsibility. In the next three decades, our debt will grow to more than three times the size of our entire economy. This level of government spending is unsustainable and must not continue.

Congress will soon vote on whether to allow our country to take on even more debt – for the 11^th time in the last decade. The simple truth is it would be irresponsible to allow this pattern of spending to continue without a serious plan in place to reduce the deficit.

Last year, mandatory spending made up 56 percent of our entire budget. In the coming decade, expenditures on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are expected to double as more Americans retire and fewer workers replace them. Social Security already pays out more than it collects and Medicare’s unfunded liabilities are tens of trillions of dollars. We must reform these programs, but it will take strong leadership and the commitment of both political parties.

In February 2010, you created the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform to make recommendations on how best to address our fiscal situation in the short and long term. The Commission’s work marked an important first step on the path forward, but none of their recommendations to improve the fiscal outlook were included in your FY2012 budget proposal. Your Administration has also been notably absent from important budget discussions in Congress over the past few months.

Americans are looking for leadership in Washington to confront the problems of today, not push them off on future generations. To date, you have provided little or no leadership on what I believe to be the most important issue facing our nation – our national debt. With no indication that your willingness to lead will change, I want to inform you I will vote “no” on your request to raise the debt ceiling.

Oftentimes, the debate about government spending is seen as a philosophical, academic, or partisan issue, but the truth is out-of-control borrowing and spending has very real consequences on the daily lives of Americans. We are facing a turning point in our country’s history and can no longer delay difficult decisions.

Whether we have the courage to tackle our fiscal crisis now will determine the course of our country for the next generation. I stand ready to address these challenges, and urge you to lead our nation and this Congress in working together to find commonsense solutions to our mounting fiscal crisis.         

Very Truly Yours,

Jerry Moran
United States Senator

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