St. Paul Reporter

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) released the following statement after voting for the Bipartisan Budget Agreement (H.R. 3746):

“Let me be crystal clear – the default crisis was manufactured by the GOP and was 100% avoidable. Democrats have been united in working to pay America’s bills without political stunts. Earlier this month, I joined my Democratic colleagues in signing on to legislation that would have provided a clean resolution to prevent default and protect our economy. If just five Republicans had joined us, we could have passed it and paid America’s bills on time. The threat of America going into default should never have been linked to a far-right ransom note of demands.

“But Speaker McCarthy and his extreme MAGA Republicans instead chose to force our nation into an unnecessary fiscal crisis. Their plan was to hold the full faith and credit of the United States hostage for their demands to protect corporations and the wealthiest Americans and force deep cuts that would cause pain across the country and jeopardize our economic recovery. 

“In the face of this reckless and inexcusable conduct from House Republicans, President Biden negotiated a deal that shielded Americans from many of the cuts that extreme MAGA Republicans wanted.

“President Biden successfully:

• Protected Social Security
• Protected Medicare
• Protected Medicaid
• Protected veterans’ health care, including full benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances
• Protected historic infrastructure and climate investments within the Inflation Reduction Act, including good-paying jobs in a green economy
• Protected the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts
• Protected Advance Appropriations for Indian Health Service
• Limited cuts to emergency food assistance
• Expanded access to food assistance for veterans, the homeless, young adults transitioning from foster care, and other vulnerable populations

“The Biden administration’s efforts should be commended for avoiding a devastating default that would harm our economy and the American people.

“This deal is far from perfect—for example, it misses the opportunity to achieve long-term taxpayer savings by cutting wasteful Pentagon spending, including closing obsolete bases and phasing out costly and aging legacy equipment.

“I remain concerned by any budget agreement that does not address the Trump tax cuts for the rich, which have already ballooned the deficit – and extending them would add another $3.5 trillion dollars to the deficit. Addressing the deficit requires closing loopholes for tax cheats and ensuring corporations pay their fair share.

“I voted yes because defaulting on America is not an option. This agreement averts a catastrophic default that would have triggered a recession, cost millions of jobs, devastated retirement accounts, and undermined the historic economic progress we’ve made over the past two years, including the creation of more than 12 million jobs and the lowest unemployment rate in more than 50 years. I will always fight to protect the full faith and credit of the United States. The American people should never be used as pawns in MAGA Republicans’ political games.

“Knowing now just how extreme Republicans are willing to go to cut funding from those who need it the most, our work on the Appropriations Committee is just starting. There is more work to be done to protect the priorities of American families and our communities.”

Original source can be found here.