WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Lance Gooden (R-TX) voted NO on the Biden Debt Deal. Here's why:
Short-term Spending Freeze: only a two-year freeze on spending with apparent "cuts" of $128 billion. However, other areas of spending would expand the federal bureaucracy, negating these alleged cuts. This isn't fiscal responsibility, it's fiscal sleight-of-hand.
Weak Work Requirements: minor work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a.k.a. food stamps yet these created new exemptions and phase-outs, and disappointingly, imposed no work requirements for Medicaid. It also expands the number of individuals on SNAP increasing the cost of the program in the long term.
Preservation of Massive Giveaways: kept every cent of the Democrats' green energy handouts, upheld Biden's student loan bailout, and gave a pet pipeline project to Sen. Joe Manchin.
Expansion of the IRS: retained 98% of the planned $80 billion IRS expansion, risking the growth of a weaponized bureaucracy.
Inadequate Reclaim of COVID Funds: reclaimed only $28 billion of unspent, unobligated COVID funds, leaving $400 billion of misused funding intact.
No Border Security Measures: neglected border security entirely, but its construction also made it more difficult to address the border issue in the future.
Debt Limit Concerns: did nothing to cap the debt limit, instead deferring it to a future lame duck session in 2025. Additionally, it was backstopped by a weak Continuing Resolution that would, at best, result in a cut of $15 billion.
"A vote in favor of this debt ceiling increase would have been a vote for bigger government, higher taxes, and lower accountability." Said Rep. Gooden, "I am disappointed in the cheerleading that I witnessed from my Republican colleagues in support of this bad bill, and I could not in good conscious come home and defend a yes vote."