UNITED STATES — Wyoming Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis were among 36 senators who opposed debt ceiling legislation passed in the Senate Thursday night in a 63 to 36 vote.
With President Biden’s signature, the Fiscal Responsibility Act will increase the federal debt limit, establish new discretionary spending limits, rescind unobligated funds and expand work requirements for federal programs.
“Specifically, the bill suspends the federal debt limit through Jan. 1, 2025, and increases the limit on Jan. 2, 2025, to accommodate the obligations issued during the suspension period,” reads the bill’s summary.
U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) expressed her disapproval of the Act saying that the legislation does not go far enough to address “our country’s spending addiction.”
“There is nothing more important to me than addressing our national debt,” said Lummis in a statement Thursday evening.
“When I was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives in 2009, our national debt was $10.6 trillion. Now, it’s $31.8 trillion. The people of Wyoming demand better from those who control our nation’s purse strings and the Fiscal Responsibility Act does not go far enough to make meaningful spending reforms that will set us on a fiscally sustainable path,” said Lummis.
Lummis filed two amendments to the Fiscal Responsibility Act including her Sustainable Budget Act and an amendment to change the date of the suspension of the debt ceiling. Neither amendment was included in the final bill.
Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) added that this legislation would raise the debt ceiling without meaningful spending reforms.
“Since January, I have been clear that any legislation to raise the debt ceiling must make substantive changes to how this country spends money in the future,” Barrasso said. “This bill falls short.”
Barrasso added that this legislation only adds to “Democrats’ reckless spending agenda.”
“It does not do enough to match the seriousness of the moment and the dangerous debt crisis our country is facing…much more needs to be done if we’re serious about tackling the debt and beating back inflation.”
