FreedomWorks Letter: Ask Your Representative to Sign Republican Study Committee’s Letter Regarding Debt Ceiling Vote

Dear FreedomWorks member,

As one of our million-plus FreedomWorks members nationwide, I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to sign onto a Republican Study Committee letter which is addressed to Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) regarding the upcoming debt ceiling vote. The letter clearly states that any signer will not vote for a “clean” debt ceiling increase. It calls for a “Cut, Cap and Balance” approach to reduce federal spending. It would be fiscally irresponsible to raise the debt limit without reining in excessive spending. The letter specifically lays out three bold solutions to reduce the national debt: immediate spending cuts, enforceable total-spending caps and a balanced budget amendment.

The debt held by the public has more than doubled in just the past five years. Interest paid on the national debt is expected to more than triple over the next ten years. Raising the debt ceiling without significant spending cuts is simply a tax increase on future generations. The declining value of the U.S. dollar is directly due to the Federal Reserve buying more government debt. The federal government has hit the $14.292 trillion debt limit set in February 2010. A recent FreedomWorks poll conducted by Frank Luntz confirmed that 69 percent of Americans oppose a “clean” debt ceiling increase.

The upcoming debt ceiling vote provides a great opportunity to enact immediate spending cuts. In the FreedomWorks poll, the support for raising the debt ceiling increases (17 percent to 31 percent) if provisions are included to cut spending and reduce future debt such as binding spending caps and/or passage of a serious balanced budget. The Republican Study Committee letter calls for mandatory spending reduction that would cut the deficit in half next year. It also calls for statutory, enforceable total-spending caps to reduce federal spending to 18% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Lastly, the letter asks for a Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) with strong protections against federal tax increases and including a Spending Limitation Amendment (SLA).

The upcoming vote on the debt ceiling will be an interesting litmus test to see who is truly serious about reining in the federal government. With the national debt approaching $14.3 trillion, the time for significant spending cuts is now. Please call your representative and ask him or her to sign onto the Republican Study Committee’s letter today.

Sincerely,

Matt Kibbe
President and CEO
FreedomWorks
[Click here for a pdf version of this letter.]