Politics

Telling It Like It Is

By Sunlight Foundation & Participatory Politics Foundation

The House today voted to increase the federal debt ceiling (H.J.Res.45). All Republicans voted “no,” despite providing the bulk of the votes for the seven times Congress held similar votes under Bush.

Rep. Michael Simpson [R, ID-2] has no illusions about this. It’s always an unpopular vote as a member of Congress , and if you’re not forced to do it by your party leadership, you might as well just leave it up to the others to take care of. Here’s what he told Congress Daily today, via Wonk Room:

On the other side of the aisle, Republicans contend it?s not their responsibility to take this unpopular debt vote and not to expect their help. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, a member of the Budget Committee, said, ?That is the burden of the majority.?

When the Senate voted last week to raise the debt ceiling — with all Republicans voting “no” in that chamber too, I noted that it was the first time in a decade that no Republican voted “yes” on a bill increasing the debt ceiling and that Republican support for these bills dropped off precipitously the moment Obama took over the presidency.

Full post as published by Open Congress on February 05, 2010 (boomark / email).