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Rep. Crockett's Statement on House Democrats Petition to Raise the Debt Ceiling

May 2, 2023

WASHINGTON – In the face of a looming default as a result of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's refusal to raise the debt ceiling without devastating budget cuts to critical federal programs, House Democrats filed a discharge petition to bring a clean bill raising the debt ceiling to the floor. This bill would force House Republicans to vote for or against a default on America's debts and the resulting recession such a default would likely create.

"This petition is an extraordinary action to address the extraordinarily disastrous position Speaker McCarthy has put our country in," said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (TX-30). "By using the debt ceiling as a ticking time bomb hanging over the heads of the American people, Republicans are threatening to send our country into a full recession if they don’t get to check off every box on their extreme conservative wishlist. Republicans are treating this debt ceiling negotiation as a hostage situation – with the American people as the hostages. In response, House Democrats are taking action to bring a clean bill raising the debt ceiling to the floor and end this game of high-stakes political chicken.

“My constituents back in Dallas know that if they don’t pay their bills, the lights go off. It’s as simple as that – the electric company isn’t going to negotiate. The same goes for America’s creditors. The impacts of a debt default would be catastrophic, effectively doubling our unemployment rate, threatening the Social Security payments of millions of Americans, and hiking the average mortgage in my district by $100,000 – in the middle of a housing crisis. If Speaker McCarthy won’t stop playing politics with our nation’s finances, then I hope some members of his Caucus will do the right thing and end this game right now. With this vote to raise the debt ceiling, we’re giving House Republicans a choice: your Speaker or your Constituents. For me, that choice is easy.”

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Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett represents portions of Dallas and Tarrant Counties, with the cities of Dallas, Grand Prairie, DeSoto, Cedar Hill, Lancaster, Duncanville, Glenn Heights, Hutchins, Wilmer, Arlington, Ovilla, and Seagoville.