Bridgeport Times

Washington, DC — On April 26, Congressman, Jim Himes (CT-04), issued the following statement after voting against the Republican’s proposed debt ceiling legislation:

“House Republicans are holding Americans hostage by threatening to crash the economy unless we agree to their extreme demands,” said Rep. Himes. “Today, Democrats took a stand by voting against Speaker McCarthy’s plan to cut funding for schools, restrict food assistance for low-income Americans, force thousands of families from their homes, and more, all while padding the pockets of billionaires and huge corporations.”

The Default on America Act would:

• Put 226,000 people at risk of losing Medicaid coverage in Connecticut.
• Threaten access to food assistance for 11,000 people aged 50-55 in Connecticut.
• Eliminate preschool and child care for at least 2,200 children in Connecticut.
• Increase housing costs for at least 11,100 people in Connecticut.
• Make college more expensive for at least 79,300 students in Connecticut.
• Repeal investments in cleaner, cheaper energy — threatening clean energy and manufacturing jobs.

If the Republicans do not get their way by forcing through this detrimental legislation, they are threatening to default on our national debt for the first time in American history. According to a March 2023 report from Moody's Analytics, this default would lead to at least 7 million jobs lost, an unemployment rate of over 8%, and a 4% decline in GDP.

For further information contact Nora Kohli at Nora.Kohli@mail.house.gov.

Original source can be found here.