Opposing the Default on America Act
Floor Speech
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Ms. TOKUDA. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I proudly cast my vote against the Default on America Act. This reckless debt limit proposal would force Americans to suffer pandemic-level pain once again due to brutal cuts put forth by House Republicans. If we thought the COVlD-19 pandemic was bad--impacts on life, learning, health, and economic security--the ``virus'' being unleashed on our country by this Act has potentially more dire and devastating consequences.
But there is a way forward on this issue. Pass a clean debt limit increase. To blatantly ignore Treasury Secretary Yellen's stark warnings of default back in January and three months later celebrate the passage of a bill that seeks to buy us less than a year's reprieve on the backs of hardworking American families, children, kupuna, and veterans is offensive and unacceptable.
I gave my inaugural floor speech on January 25th on the debt limit and urged House Republicans to join us in making good on our commitments to millions of Americans who've worked hard, sacrificed, and defended this country by passing a clean debt limit increase. People, families, and entire communities that rely on social security, Medicare, and other critical federal programs--they were looking to us to do the right thing.
Like my constituent from Hilo, who called every day during my first weeks in office, scared that after a lifetime of work, he'd lose the social security check he relied upon each month.
It is now April 27th, and more than 100 days after the warnings from the Treasury, the Republican Majority is only now looking to come to the table on this looming default crisis, which could come as soon as June.
Instead of cleanly raising the debt ceiling as Congressional Republicans did without preconditions on three separate occasions under President Trump, Speaker McCarthy is doubling down on holding the full faith and credit of the United States hostage and risking economic chaos and catastrophe to force draconian cuts that will endanger public safety and worsen public health, raise costs for families and students, and harm seniors and veterans.
Instead of seriously coming to negotiate, House Republicans are willing to level pandemic-level pain and suffering on everyday Americans in every community in this country.
The legislation introduced by the Speaker would lead to across-the- board cuts of at least $142 billion for critical programs. This could lead to the Veterans Health Administration providing 13 million fewer visits and veterans would have to wait longer to receive benefits. 200,000 children could lose access to Head Start slots and 100,000 children could lose access to childcare. Services such as Meals on Wheels could be cut for more than 1 million seniors, while over 1 million participants could drop from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.
In Hawaii, these devastating cuts would be felt immediately by some of our most vulnerable residents. 43,000 Hawaii residents would lose food assistance.
In a State where 1 in 10 people are veterans who have served and sacrificed, there would be 38,000 fewer veteran outpatient visits. College would be more expensive and out of reach for 15,000 Hawaii students. Over 3,000 families in Hawaii would lose rental assistance and be at severe risk for or resulting in homelessness. We'd lose 1,000 Preschool and Child Care Slots in Hawaii, where we are already short tens of thousands of seats. At least four air traffic control towers in Hawaii would be shut down, which would prevent my constituents from getting to work or accessing basic services like healthcare, leaving our islands less connected.
And if Republicans don't get their way, they're threatening to default on our Nation's bills, unleashing an economic catastrophe and putting vital government services at risk. Nationwide, a default could kill more than seven million jobs, jeopardize Social Security payments for 94,000 families in my district, and put health benefits at risk for 297,000 veterans, kupuna, and keiki in Hawaii's Second Congressional District.
It's important to remember that the debt limit reflects the spending and revenue decisions debated and enacted in prior years by prior Congresses. It's about paying our nation's credit card bill, not making additional purchases on it.
The full extent of negative repercussions is unknown because the United States has never defaulted on its obligations. Economists expect the fallout to be widespread and catastrophic for the U.S. and global economy.
Congressional Republicans need to stop playing political games with our debt limit for a partisan political wish list and cleanly raise the debt limit.
Congress should focus on investing in our Nation and its people. We should be focused on decreasing child poverty and hunger, helping our kupuna on Social Security and Medicare, and increasing veteran access to services. This bill does the opposite.
My Republican colleagues may claim this proposal was the first step towards negotiating with President Biden. But the chips they were willing to gamble in this mockery of a proposal should be a warning to us all about where their priorities lie. It's not with everyday Americans or neighborhoods and communities throughout our country.
With their Default on America Act, House Republicans have shown us the moral bankruptcy of their MAGA ideology and their willingness to abandon the very people they were elected to represent.
Democrat or Republican, Blue, red, purple, and everything in between--we have the opportunity to put people above politics and not gamble with their lives and livelihood. We have less than 60 days until default. America is waiting for us to do the right thing and pass a clean debt limit increase now.
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