Ranking Member Boyle Testifies Against Republicans’ Default On America Act At House Rules Committee

WASHINGTON, DC —Today, Pennsylvania Congressman Brendan F. Boyle, Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, appeared before the House Rules Committee to testify against Republicans' Default On America Act. Video and remarks as delivered below:

With the threat of default looming, our nation needs decisive action and responsible leadership.

Democrats have proven that Congress can deliver for the American people while promoting fiscal responsibility, from galvanizing a record-breaking and world-leading recovery from the COVID pandemic – which did not happen by accident – to the creation of 12.6 million jobs under President Biden – itself an all-time American record – to rebuilding our nation's infrastructure, to making major investments in America's economic competitiveness, and yes, to passing legislation to reduce the deficit.

Now, I wish we were here today to talk about how we can build upon this historic progress and improve the lives of our constituents and grow the economy, but we are not. Instead, we are here debating whether or not House Republicans are going to do their jobs and ensure our nation pays its bills like we have for our entire 247-year history.

Republicans had no qualms whatsoever about raising the debt ceiling three times under former President Trump, but now that there's a Democrat in the White House, they're refusing to act unless their unpopular policy demands are met.

Now, Republicans will claim that they're being "fiscally responsible." But let me be clear, there has never been – and never will be – anything fiscally responsible about threatening to refuse to pay America's bills. Killing millions of jobs is not fiscally responsible. Neither is knowingly unleashing a recession or purposefully disinvesting in our nation and its people for years to come.

I had hoped that when the Speaker referred to the budget process and the debt ceiling "apples and oranges," it meant Republicans finally understood the real-world ramifications of their reckless brinkmanship. After all, as Ranking Member McGovern pointed out, former President Trump once said, "I can't imagine anybody ever thinking of using the debt ceiling as a negotiating [tool]."

Republicans claim their draconian spending cuts are the only way to pay down the deficit. This is false. The President and Congressional Democrats have already achieved historic deficit reduction, and we have done it without sacrificing Americans' health and wellbeing.

In fact, the President's latest budget, which he unveiled in my district on March 9th, reduces the deficit by another $3 trillion over the next 10 years, while still making responsible investments to improve Americans' quality of life. But instead of working to responsibly raise revenues by closing the tax gap and ensuring the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share, Republicans are here to let those tax dodgers off the hook and instead impose extreme and devastating cuts at the expense of working Americans.

This bill does not simply "rollback spending" as some would have you believe. The bill amounts to the biggest single cut to non-defense programs in our nation's recorded history.

First, the bill demands an immediate cut of at least $142 billion to the vital services and protections Americans value, need, and deserve. And then it hits even deeper, imposing trillions of dollars of devastating cuts over a decade that disinvest in our nation and its people. By capping key investments in our economy and Americans' health, safety, and wellbeing at unworkable levels for an entire decade, resources in 2033 would be lower than they are today.

Republicans and all those supporting this piece of legislation are knowingly kneecapping our economic potential and undermining our ability to meet the needs of American families now and for years to come. Republicans took our economy hostage because they know their extreme agenda is deeply unpopular and "dead on arrival."

This Default on America Act is also DOA and we all know it. There is no way Congress will coalesce around 10 years of destructive caps and cuts in exchange for staving off default for less than one year before we have to go through this cycle yet again.

The Republican majority could put an end to this entire fabricated crisis right now. Just put a clean bill on the House floor so America can pay what it owes, and then we can move on to negotiating future spending like we do every year. But instead, the People's House is spending its time attempting to convince Republicans not to default and plunge our nation into a completely avoidable economic catastrophe.

The catastrophic impact of a self-inflicted default cannot be overstated, and I think most of us recognize that. But this DOA agenda has steep costs as well. Moody's Analytics estimates Republicans' cuts "would meaningfully increase the likelihood of recession" and result in almost 800,000 fewer jobs by the end of 2024 compared to a clean debt ceiling bill.

How does that help any of the American people? There is no reason to subject our economy and our people to more Republican chaos, crisis, and confusion. House Democrats are ready to support a clean bill to prevent a devastating debt default, but we will not bend to a ruinous ransom note or this DOA act.

And with that, I yield back.

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