Congressman Gaetz Appointed to Speaker’s Debt Ceiling Working Group
Washington, D.C. — Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL-1) today announced that he has been chosen to be a member of the Debt Ceiling Working Group, a group assembled by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. With government debt at an all-time high, Congressman Gaetz's history of fiscal conservatism, and his continued emphasis on the need for large-scale reform, makes him a natural fit for the position. The first meeting of the Debt Ceiling Working Group is scheduled for Tuesday, October 10th.
"I am honored to have been chosen by the Speaker to work in the debt ceiling group," said Rep. Gaetz. "In the past month, our government debt finally exceeded twenty trillion dollars. This means that if America's debt were divided evenly among our citizens, every man, woman, and child in this country would owe more than sixty thousand dollars. This is not only generational theft, but morally repugnant. We cannot continue to sell out future generations simply because we cannot, or will not, rein in our out-of-control spending."
"This is exactly why we wanted Matt Gaetz on the Budget Committee, because of how serious he is about getting our fiscal house in order. He brings to this working group the kind of fresh approach and long-term thinking taxpayers deserve right now. I appreciate his willingness to take on this responsibility at this critical time," Speaker Ryan said.
Throughout his time in Congress, Rep. Gaetz has spoken frequently about the need for significant reform to government spending. "The last Presidential election showed that the American people are fed up with Washington. President Trump's call to "drain the swamp" resonated with a lot of people in my district, and a lot of Americans. With a Republican majority in Congress and a Republican president, we must make the most of this opportunity, and finally take bold, conservative steps to reform our government, and make it sustainable for future generations of Americans."
Congressman Gaetz has never voted to raise the debt ceiling. He voted against the FY17 continuing resolution, calling it "irresponsible" and "yet another example of reckless government spending." When asked under what conditions he would consider a debt ceiling increase, Rep. Gaetz replied: "I will never support raising the debt ceiling until we fix the broken Washington system. Look at our budget process: we spend like crazy, and then pass budgets after the fact. Meanwhile, we have solutions available, like implementing work requirements for able-bodied, childless adults on Medicaid. This is just common sense: we can't keep borrowing money from China in order to pay for the healthcare of people who choose not to work. Washington has a lot of room for improvement, at both a policy level and a systemic level. I'd only consider raising the debt ceiling once these serious issues get fixed — but I also think that fixing the broken system will save enough money that a debt ceiling vote would be a moot point."
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