Buffalo Ledger

Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) announced the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan budget agreement by a vote of 314-117 that raises the debt ceiling and protects Americans from the first default in history, which would have led to grave economic consequences. 

Higgins, who voted yes on the package, issued the following statement:

“Our country is on the brink of a devastating and unprecedented default, one that would send our economy into a recession, eliminate thousands of jobs, and raise costs for hardworking families. This agreement can prevent that.

“It is far from perfect. It raises the debt ceiling to ensure that the government continues to pay its bills and avoids devastating cuts to the programs that people rely on the most, like Social Security and Medicare. I don’t agree with some of the other choices made to get to this agreement.

“The debt ceiling was raised in a bipartisan way 78 times since 1960, including three times under the previous administration. The ransom note that the GOP majority held over this country has been irresponsible. But over the past two years we’ve made historic economic progress including the creation of more than 12 million jobs and the lowest unemployment rate in more than 50 years.  So, this action is necessary to uphold the full faith and credit of our government and keep this momentum going. Any alternative would be catastrophic for American families.”

Original source can be found here.