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Dallas Morning News: Strange bedfellows on House debt ceiling vote

January 23, 2013

By: Todd J. Gillman

The House has agreed 285-144 to stave off potential federal default for at least three more months by suspending the government’s debt ceiling. Some 33 Republicans voted against party leadership in protest. But 199 Republicans voted for it, and with 86 Democrats joining them (111 Democrats opposed the bill), it sailed through. Roll call here.

Most of the 36 Texas lawmakers supported the bill. Five of the state’s 24 Republicans, all staunch conservatives, opposed it: Reps. Roger Williams of Weatherford, Louie Gohmert of Tyler, Randy Neugebauer of Lubbock, Ted Poe of Humble and Steve Stockman of Friendswood.

“Ever since this President took office, our nation’s debt has skyrocketed,” Williams said, echoing complaints from others who voted no that the bill lacked specific spending cuts. “His reckless spending spree has necessitated a $5 trillion increase in the debt limit in the last four years. This has got to stop.”

Across the aisle, three of the four Texans in the Congressional Black Caucus, all Democrats, also opposed the bill: Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas, Marc Veasey of Fort Worth, and Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston.

The legislation puts pressure on the Democratic-led Senate to adopt a budget for the first time in four years, with a provision to cut senators’ pay if they fail to do so. The White House and Democratic Senate leaders welcomed the measure as a way to give Congress breathing room to trim the deficit before the next set of self-imposed budget deadlines, a point made by House GOP leaders, including Rules Chairman Pete Sessions of Dallas.

“This legislation will allow us to use these looming deadlines as a means to enact meaningful reforms that will help to reenergize the free-enterprise system and restore fiscal discipline to our bloated budget,” he said.

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