Natalie Gonnella
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As the debt ceiling deadline draws closer, with little progress in negotiations, a growing number of GOP lawmakers have stepped up the call for a 'Cut, Cap, Balance' approach to address Washington's wasteful ways.
Having pushed for serious spending reforms throughout their 2010 election campaigns, unsurprisingly, Republican freshmen have been some of the most vocal advocates for the plan, regularly weighing in on the proposal in statements, interviews, publications, and social media posts.
With just a month left before a US default, here's a look at what Congress's newest Republicans had to say about the urgent need for 'Cut, Cap, Balance' commitments in Washington:
We have the opportunity of a lifetime before us now. Cut, Cap, and Balance is the single most significant reform package that’s come through Congress in decades. America is on an unsustainable path that requires a drastic change of course in the way Washington spends hard-earned taxpayer dollars. This pledge forces Washington to function on a balanced budget, with stringent, enforceable spending cuts that will immediately help to improve our economy and allow for job creation.
The path we are on is no longer sustainable, and hasn’t been for some time. The tenets of this pledge are the same that I promoted in my campaign, and the same that countless Floridians and Americans are asking for. I am committed to cutting wasteful spending, capping overall spending and balancing the budget as critical policies to maintain our nation’s strong economic foothold in the global market.
Despite what many people think, more often than not Washington doesn’t lead, it follows. That is exactly the case when it comes to spending: the American people are way ahead of Washington. Not only do folks realize that the federal government has a spending problem, but they are also much more willing to do something about it...By supporting this pledge, we are following the lead of millions of Americans who are calling for an end to Washington’s spending addiction, and a return to fiscal discipline. I am hopeful that many of my colleagues – especially my fellow freshmen – will join this great grassroots effort.
I am convinced, after my time here in Washington, that the only way we can get our fiscal house in order is through structural reform such as those proposed in the Cut Cap Balance Pledge. With these conditions in place, we can begin the process of defeating this catastrophic national debt, which is why I wholeheartedly pledge my support.
This is our opportunity to send a message to the world: America is serious about our debt. We will not become Greece, Portugal, Ireland or Spain. We can avert this disaster if our rhetoric does not trump our reality. Our solutions must go beyond smoke and mirrors; they must be real and genuine.
If we enact a cut, cap, balance approach to solving our debt crisis, this will be the last time we allow out-of-control spending to remain our status quo. If we enact cut, cap, balance, this will be the final vote we will ever need to take on the debt ceiling.
I believe continuing to spend at the current rate will place America on the Road to Ruin. At the same time, I believe that the current debate over raising the debt limit provides a historic opportunity to focus public attention, and then public policy, on a path to a balanced budget and paying down our debt.
I believe that the "Cut, Cap, Balance" plan for substantial spending cuts in FY 2012, a statutory spending cap, and Congressional passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution is the minimum necessary precondition to raising the debt limit.
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