Ranking Member Smith to Chairman Yarmuth: Use Your Markup to Amend the Budget, Address Debt Limit
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Budget Committee Republican Leader Jason Smith (MO-08) sent a letter to House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth (KY-03) calling on Democrats to use tomorrow’s already scheduled mark-up in the House Budget Committee to amend their Fiscal Year 2022 budget resolution to allow for a debt limit increase through reconciliation.“Congressional Democrats – including the Chairman of the House Budget Committee – have admitted they can amend the budget to take care of the debt limit through reconciliation. They have the votes, and given their partisan, go-it-alone strategy on a $3.5 trillion tax and spending spree as well as their total control of the government, Democrats have the opportunity and responsibility to act now. Instead of wasting more time tomorrow marking up a piece of legislation they know cannot pass the Senate – the total cost of which the Congressional Budget Office has only scored roughly 1 percent – Democrats should use this time to amend their budget and get moving on addressing the debt limit.”
In the letter, House Budget Committee Republican Leader Smith points out that Congressional Democrats have the time and the tools at hand to address the debt limit swiftly:
“Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell just yesterday outlined how Democrats could revise the fiscal year 2022 budget resolution to include reconciliation instructions to increase the debt limit. He further stated in his remarks that this process would likely take a week or potentially a little longer for the Senate. Tomorrow, this Committee could take the steps to further accelerate that process. The House can quickly adopt a revised budget resolution given the nature of House procedure. Moreover, Chairman Yarmuth, you have previously suggested that Democrats can use the reconciliation process to increase the debt limit.”
Read the letter to Chairman Yarmuth here.
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