Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Bruce Braley (IA-01) released thefollowing statement after the vote on the debt ceiling:
"The simple truth is, today's vote is a symbol of everything that's wrong in Washington: partisan brinksmanship, broken promises, backroom deal making, and kicking the can down the road. Enough is enough. I've been demanding a balanced approach of shared sacrifice from both the President and the Speaker since the beginning of the year. I've listened to my constituents at multiple town halls. Iowans know that when times are tough, families don't just tighten their belts, they also take on extra jobs to increase their income. Today's vote squarely places the burden of deficit reduction on middle class families, while demanding nothing of millionaires, billionaires and corporations making record profits. My constituents don't agree with that, and neither can I."
In recent months, Rep. Braley voted to cut nearly half a trillion dollars from the current budget:
He called for an immediate withdrawal of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, which would save over $1 trillion dollars.
He opposed the invasion of Libya, which has cost taxpayers over $700 million dollars in our 5 months of involvement.
He fought for legislation to end waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare, which would save up to $700 billion.
He opposed the Bush tax cuts,which have already cost over $1.8 trillion dollars. And last December he opposed the extension of President Bush's tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. By not ending tax cuts for the wealthiest, we will spend another $700 billion over the next decade.
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