Magnolia State News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) tonight issued the following statement regarding her opposition to Fiscal Responsibility Act (HR.3746), the legislation negotiated to extend the nation’s debt limit and rein in federal spending:

“While I fully agree our nation must honor its obligations and not fall into default, the agreement before the Senate is deeply flawed in terms of truly stopping the Biden administration from its free-spending and over-regulatory ways.  I cannot vote for this.

“I am grateful for Republican control of the House or else the Democrats would have just raised the debt limit without lifting a finger to get our fiscal house in order—just as President Biden and Democrats did in December 2021 so they could continue spending on big-government programs.  I am committed to continuing the fight for legitimate changes to control deficit spending and debt reduction, but this legislation does not qualify.”

In February, Hyde-Smith reintroduced a balanced budget amendment (S.J.Res.13) to the U.S. Constitution to force the President and Congress to enact annual balanced budgets.

Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, cited as a major flaw in the agreement the fact that it disproportionately cuts discretionary spending over 10 years as opposed to unbridled mandatory spending.  The bill outlines $1.3 trillion in discretionary program cuts compared to only $10 billion in reductions to mandatory spending, which accounts for the majority of federal expenditures.

Original source can be found here.