Sen. Bernie Sanders released the following statement today about the Congressional debt ceiling/budget deal.
“The original debt ceiling legislation that Republicans passed in the House would have, over a 10-year period, made savage cuts to programs that working families, the children, the sick, the elderly, and the poor desperately need.
“The best thing to be said about the current deal on the debt ceiling is that it could have been much worse. Instead of making massive cuts to health care, education, childcare, nutrition assistance, and other vital programs over the next decade, this bill proposes to make modest cuts to these programs over a 2-year period. This bill will also prevent an economic catastrophe by extending the debt ceiling until January 1, 2025 – when we will have to go through with this absurd process once again.
“Having said that, I cannot vote for this bill.
“At a time of massive wealth and income inequality I cannot, in good conscience, vote for a bill that takes vital nutrition assistance away from women, infants, children, and seniors, while refusing to ask billionaires who have never had it so good to pay a penny more in taxes. I cannot, in good conscience, vote for a bill that makes it harder for working families to afford the outrageously high price of childcare, housing, and health care while making it easier for the wealthiest people and most profitable corporations in America to cheat on their taxes.
“At a time when climate change is, by far, the most existential threat facing our country and the entire world I cannot, in good conscience, vote for a bill that makes it easier for fossil fuel companies to pollute and destroy the planet by fast-tracking the disastrous Mountain Valley Pipeline. When the future of the world is literally at stake we must have the courage to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and tell them, and the politicians they sponsor, that the future of the planet is more important than their short-term profits.
“At a time when we spend more on the military than the next ten nations combined I cannot, in good conscience, vote for a bill that increases funding for the bloated Pentagon and large defense contractors that continue to make huge profits by fleecing American taxpayers with impunity. Let me remind my colleagues that the Pentagon is the only federal agency that cannot pass an independent audit or account for trillions of dollars in spending.
“At a time when the pharmaceutical industry is charging the American people, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs I cannot, in good conscience, vote for a bill that does nothing to take on the greed of the big drug companies that are bankrupting Medicare and cancer patients while spending tens of billions of dollars on stock buybacks and dividends.
“At a time when over 45 million Americans are drowning in student debt I cannot, in good conscience, vote for a bill that eliminates the moratorium on student loan payments that has been a lifeline to millions of working families during the pandemic.
“Deficit reduction cannot just be about cutting programs that working families, the children, the sick, the elderly, and the poor depend upon. It must be about demanding that the billionaire class and profitable corporations pay their fair share of taxes, reining in out-of-control military spending, reducing the price of prescription drugs, and ending billions of dollars in corporate welfare that goes to the fossil fuel industry and other corporate interests.
“The fact of the matter is that this bill is totally unnecessary. The President has the authority and the ability to eliminate the debt ceiling today by invoking the 14th Amendment. I look forward to the day when he exercises this authority and puts an end, once and for all, to the outrageous actions of the extreme right-wing to hold our entire economy hostage in order to get what they want.”
Categories: Congress
With most serious scientists of the persuasion that things are already too messed up for us to make a meaningful positive impact on climate change, why is the priority not to prepare for the climate upheaval we are already seeing the beginnings of? Instead we see politicians grandstanding or trying to get us to buy our way out of the problem.
Because climate change isn’t a real thing… It’s engineered.
Reality is that it’s a bolschevik/communist ploy to fleece you of your money while making you think you’re doing something good for society when in reality you’re destroying it.
Sounds like the equity agenda, aka Socialism.
Why is it so difficult for people to understand that the earth is 4.5 billions years old. In that time, wouldn’t you believe that the climate or weather patterns have changed numerous times? The earth was once covered with ice with an ice bridge between continents. Our mountains shaped by the melting of giant glaciers. Horrific storms and floods occurred. All of these happened before man.
Even a nuclear Armageddon would not destroy the earth itself. There has always been climate change throughout history but never used as a means to scare useless idiots into spending their money to change mother nature. All this man made damage talk and the resulting belief that man can control the weather or climate of the whole earth is the upmost arrogance of irrational thinking. The reality is that there’s a huge profit margin to be exploited at the taxpayers expense.
I agree with almost all of that, however chemtrails are being used to change and control weather patterns and is polluting our environment with toxic metals. This is fact, and if we really cared about the environment we would stop that first, as it’s a huge cost, is being used as warfare and is unknown to most of humanity, plus what else are they spraying on us.
Brian, I agree but I said the whole earth. Chemtrails are used sporadically and due poison the earth. The arrogance seen here by Vermont progressives is that they are targeting whole world climate change from Vermont. That’s what I was addressing.
Bernie I have a couple questions about your statement regarding using the 14th amendment.
The 14th amendment Section 4 states:
“The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.”
-How would you explain all of this debt as an “insurrection”, “rebellion”, or try to prove that it was all pensions?
-Haven’t you been in office when most of it was incurred (when you took federal office in 2007 our debt was 9T) and wouldn’t this help to remove your liability for “sinking the ship” so to speak?
-Does “shall not be questioned” have the same strength in terms as “shall not be infringed”?
I was going to look up how the 14th Amendment applied: thanks. A question I have is, it’s one thing to pay on one’s debts, but how would that obligation require increasing those debts?
I’m not sure I’m understanding what you’re asking so I apologize if I’m barking up the wrong tree
The government runs and operating budget just like a business does. It also borrows money from the Fed (which is a central bank not controlled by the government or the people – think that one through and think about what happened during the years of 1913-1933). In order to stop from defaulting It must pay its debt first then it’s bills. When the government spends too much just like it always does, it must borrow more money from the fed. Borrowing more money is prohibited by a law made in 1917 called the Second Liberty Bond Act that changed the way that Congress is allowed to authorize debt.
“Currently the US government takes in 5.0 trillion in taxes in fiscal year 2022 (FY 2022) — or $15,098 per person. The federal government spent $6.5 trillion in FY 2022 — or $19,434 per person.” – https://usafacts.org/state-of-the-union/budget/
“Interest payments on the national debt were $475 billion in fiscal year 2022 — the highest dollar amount ever. Interest costs grew 35 percent last year and are projected to grow by another 35 percent in 2023.” – https://www.pgpf.org/blog/2023/02/interest-costs-on-the-national-debt-are-on-track-to-reach-a-record-high
Can you imagine making 50k a year, spending 65k a year and paying out 4.75K in a year in credit card interest (not principle) while owing 310k to the credit card company
Because that’s the situation the government’s actually in, and conversely the situation you’re in.
Now think that there are people in Congress that think that we should just continue to spend more money on new programs and not shut down anything that the government spends…
If you want to see how much you owe is a taxpayer and how quickly those numbers are increasing:
https://www.usdebtclock.org/
Then again when you owe someone so much money you are beholden to their wishes…..
OMG! Senator Sanders [and Welch] are total socialists and have zero respect for working families and the rights of Americans. I also think this bill is not great, but that’s because it does not cut enough! It does not cut the entirety of the IRS increases…
Bernie would like to see our country go down so low that we can’t dig our way out, much like our state government is doing to the people of Vermont, until no one has any money. That is the first lesson of Communisum (socialists) way, that gives them the power over everyone they so much desire!
Read your history books!
Sanders is totally out of touch with reality. This is why we need term limits for Congress!
Senator Sanders provides a clear picture of how the legislative culture has evolved a level of citizen dependency such that we hurt our neighbors if we try to be fiscally responsible. In his world, the dominant ethos of our time, “This is the Way”. Is this what we want to continue? Disentangling ourselves from such a bondage monolith is likely to take years. I suspect the specter of fiscal catastrophe and the discomfort of this kind of indentured state is stirring the citizenry. It’ll need to see the resurrection of and widespread commitment to our original aspirations for individual liberty. It will call for the realistic transfer to citizens’ control of their own retirement, their healthcare and education of their own children…their own pursuit of happiness in communities of support. There is optimism out there for this reawaking. Last night we heard George Will give us encouragement. We’re reminded that clear thinking prevails.
I wonder if he’d feel the same way if term limits was stuck in there
When are they going to realize the 14th amendment does not apply? they have us by the throat and are going to strangle us. Please keep all these issues in mind when voting in 2024
Says the old Commie .
What a stupid piece of trash
the most existential threat facing our country and the entire world right now is Bernie Sanders himself!!!!
Bernie’s quote “The President” – interesting he didn’t say President “the” Biden. Being that Bernie was front and center at the installment ceremony January 2021, I would think he’d make himself “perfectly clear” as he always says. Whatever is really going on down there in the District of Corruption, seeing Joey take another tumble yesterday and all the distractions hitting a panic button point – looks to me the deck chairs are about to be rearranged shortly?