Congresswoman Torres Statement on Debt Ceiling Vote

Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) issued the following statement on tonight's vote to raise the debt ceiling in exchange for harmful spending cuts:

"While I would never support defaulting on our nation's full faith and credit, I condemn Republicans' reckless attempts to hold our economy and constituents hostage. Though Democrats succeeded in protecting Medicare and critical veterans' health care benefits in this agreement, I could not support abill that ties our hands and commits our government to severe spending cuts in 2026, effectively ensuring that working-class people continue to suffer for years to come. I voted no on this bill.

"Extremist Republicans are only interested in slashing the essential programs that families in communities like mine rely on. As the representative of one of the most highly polluted communities in the country, I could not, in good conscience, vote for legislation that disregards even the most basic of environmental protections.

"Republicans are trying to solve our fiscal crisis on the backs of working families instead of reversing the tax cuts to the 1% that brought us to this fiscal cliff in the first place. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I have deep concerns with the dangerous precedent this bill sets by relegating the budget and appropriations process to the whims of a few, rather than the experts appointed to the House and Senate Budget and Appropriations committees. Additionally, I remain concerned about backroom deals that are part of this agreement and the harmful effects they may have on our constituents.

"Ultimately, Speaker McCarthy and the Republican majority chose to play games with Americans' livelihoods by manufacturing a fiscal crisis. In stark contrast, House Democrats proposed a simple, straightforward vote to avert a crisis, free of political gimmicks or side deals - a clean vote to raise the debt ceiling. Under the Democratic majority in the last Congress, we managed to reduce the deficit while increasing investments in vulnerable communities when we passed the Inflation Reduction Act. We could have done the same today had Republicans not lost control of the floor of the House of Representatives.

"Defaulting on our nation's debt was never an option for me, but we cannot reward extremists for bringing us to the brink of global economic collapse. Congress has paid our nation's bills without gutting essential programs before, and there is no reason we did not do so today."