Last minute debt deal a day late and $4 trillion short

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July 28th, 2011
John Fredericks / Staff

Graves: Cut, Cap And Balance... Or Bust (07.28.11)


Freshman U.S. Rep. says he'll defy GOP Caucus, Speaker and vote down compromise

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA/9) to U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH): No deal, dude. 

"I remain convinced that Cut, Cap, and Balance is the only plan on the table that will end this debt crisis, preserve our credit rating and pave the way to long-term economic expansion and job growth,", Graves [pictured below] said in a statement to reporters. "After reviewing the details, of the new House plan, I've determined that the plan released by Speaker Boehner does not meet the principles of Cut, Cap, and Balance."

Graves says he's supportive of the "Speaker's fierce resistance to job-destroying tax increases," but maintained the debt reduction elements within the new proposal have already been tried in the past and "failed to stop our government from amassing the $14 trillion debt we have today."

"Most concerning is the failure to demand the passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment," Graves reiterated, in explaining his refusal to back Boehner's new compromise. "Merely promising another vote will not get the job done. Any spending cuts or caps enacted today will eventually disappear without a constitutional requirement for a balanced budget," Graves said. 

"The vast majority of Americans support Cut, Cap, and Balance because the debt reduction, tax protections and balanced budgets are guaranteed outcomes. It's a solution that permanently restrains Congress and empowers taxpayers, and it remains the only plan I can support."

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