U.S. Rep. Rich Nugent voted Tuesday against a measure to raise the nation’s debt ceiling.
The Republican Congressman who represents The Villages was in the minority as the House voted 221-201 to allow the government to borrow enough money to pay its bills for the next year.
“Since the Republicans took control of the House, we’ve managed to cut spending back to 2008 levels. We’ve gotten, in fact, the largest deficit reduction bills passed in history. But our budget had grown so bloated and so out-of-control, that we are still looking at deficits totaling hundreds of billions of dollars each year from now until the end of time,” Nugent said following the vote.
“Doing nothing, in my opinion, is not an option. Our job is to make decisions about priorities. When you’re borrowing trillions and trillions of dollars in your kids’ names, everything can’t keep being a top priority. At some point, you have to step up to the plate and make decisions about what you can and can’t live without. Today’s debt ceiling vote just kicks the can for another year and I cannot support that.”
Fellow Republican Congressman Ted Yoho, who represents part of Marion County, also voted against raising the debt ceiling.
“This crushing debt currently exceeds $17 trillion and is increasing at a steady clip,” Yoho said. “At what point will Democrats and Republicans wake up and address this uncontrollable freight train that doesn’t discriminate according to party affiliation and is the biggest threat to our national security?”
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew had warned the debt ceiling must be raised by Feb. 27, or the nation would risk a technical default.
The measure now moves on to a vote in the U.S. Senate.