 |
WASHINGTON – With the federal government rapidly approaching its statutory debt limit, as soon as March, House Republicans have a historic opportunity to force major historic budget cuts by simply voting “no” on a vote to raise it, proclaims the organizer of a campaign to pressure members to do just that.
“There is simply no rationale for Republicans to negotiate with Democrats for budget cuts that will never be implemented,” says Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WND and the organizer of the “No More Red Ink” campaign. “Republicans ran on a platform of no-more-business-as-usual, and acceding to Democrat demands to raise the debt limit will ensure just that.”
The U.S. government is on track to hit its $14.294 trillion statutory debt limit as early as March 31. Votes in the Senate and House to raise it, enabling more deficit spending, are expected before then. But the new Republican majority in the House has the power to stop it – without any help from Democrats.
Congress sets a ceiling that limits the amount of public debt that the Treasury can issue. This authority was first enacted in 1917 when United States began borrowing heavily to finance its entry into World War I.
The campaign is enlisting Americans to do two things:
- Sign a petition directed exclusively to all 242 House Republicans calling on them not to bargain away their “nuclear option” that can stop any further deficit spending for the next two years.
- Flood their offices with “red ink” letters that remind them they are holding all the cards in getting government spending under control and that all they have to do is vote “no” on raising the debt limit.
“Few are recognizing what an opportunity the House Republicans have to force Washington to downsize,” says Farah. “If Republicans in the House unite around this idea, there is nothing the White House or the Senate can do to exceed the debt limit. This is a golden opportunity for real change in policy that must not be frittered away in favor of deals with the Democrats.”
The second phase of the “No More Red Ink” campaign allows Americans to send a “red ink” letter to every member of the House majority urging them to vote “no” on raising the debt limit. The letters are individually addressed to each member, with guaranteed delivery by Fed Ex for a cost of just $29.99. It would cost an individual more than $100 in postage alone to send the 242 letters with no guaranty of delivery and certainly nowhere near the impact.
A similar campaign organized by WND last year delivered more than 9 million “pink slips” to members of the House and Senate. Farah is hoping a similar response by Americans in the next few weeks will persuade House Republicans to oppose raising the debt limit.
Farah says some in House leadership are already suggesting they will support raising the debt limit in March in exchange for the promise of budget cuts by Democrats.
“By definition, a vote to raise the debt limit permits the Democrats to spend more money than Washington collects,” says Farah. “Why Republicans would go along with that makes no sense. Republicans would, in effect, give Democrats license to keep overspending and increasing debt by approving a debt limit increase.”
On the other hand, Farah says, all Republicans in the House have to do to force Democrats to cut spending radically for the first time in decades is to stick together in opposing a hike in the debt limit.
Sens. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., are already on record as opposing an increase in the debt limit. Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minn., has also advocated the plan.
“There is a lot of pressure on House Republicans to simply negotiate a deal with the Democrats on budget cuts or a balanced budget in exchange for a vote to raise the debt limit,” said Farah. “Republicans, by merely voting as a bloc in the House alone, can force bigger cuts in the budget than they will ever get in any deal with Democrats. Why would they trade that nuclear option. Republicans in the House hold all the cards. This is what they were elected to do last November – for a time such as this.”
Farah urges Americans to sign the petition to the House Republicans in droves as well as to participate in a program to inundate House Republicans with “red ink” letters that explain they hold all the cards in balancing the budget this year – without any help from the Democrat-controlled Senate or House Democrats or Barack Obama.
“We’ve got to get their attention right now,” he said. “We have only weeks to ensure they get the message. Voting to raise the debt limit will be business as usual. It will give Democrats and Obama license to keep spending, to enact Obamacare, to keep bailing out the wealthy and to ensure the economic train wreck is bigger and worse than we can imagine. Opposing the raising of the debt limit represents the first major step back from the economic brink for America.”
It’s a two-step process that can rein in Washington’s spending this year, explains Farah:
- Sign the petition
- Send the “red ink” letters by guaranteed Fed Ex delivery to all 242 House Republicans to encourage them not to fritter away the leverage they have to bring spending under control this year.
Previous reports:
‘House Republicans alone can downsize Washington’
The Republicans’ nuclear option
Oxymoron: ‘Fiscal conservative’
