Six Texas Republican representatives joined with the eleven Democrats in the state’s congressional delegation to vote in favor of the bill to raise the debt ceiling. Nineteen Texas Republicans voted nay in attempting to block the measure. On a national level, 79 Republicans joined with all 187 Democrat members of the House to pass the measure back to the Senate.
Rep. Kevin Brady voted in favor of the bill with the Democrats, according to GovTrack.us. He announced this week that he seeks to replace Rep. Paul Ryan as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Ryan is expected to succeed John Boehner on Thursday as Speaker of the House.
Brady voted alongside outgoing Speaker John Boehner and in opposition to the presumed incoming speaker Paul Ryan who openly expressed his displeasure with the bill to increase the national debt over a two year period. In the past, Brady has also voted for massive spending programs like the TARP programs.
Brady was joined by fellow Texas Republican Representatives John Culberson, Mike Conaway, Kay Granger, Mac Thornberry, and John Carter.
The nineteen Texas Republican Representatives voting nay include (in district order): Louie Gohmert, Ted Poe, Sam Johnson, Jeb Hensarling, Joe Barton, Michael McCaul, Randy Weber, Bill Flores, Randy Neugebauer, Lamar Smith, Pete Olson, Will Hurd, Kenny Marchant, Roger Williams, Michael Burgess, Blake Farenthold, Pete Sessions and Brian Babin.
“We cannot keep kicking the can down the road,” said Rep. Weber in a statement obtained by Breitbart Texas. “That is why I voted against this budget deal. This bill was negotiated in secret with an Administration that would rather throw money at the problem than address it.”
“Additionally,” Weber added, “the bill was rammed down the throats of the American people and their representatives. We deserve a budget that will tackle our national debt, find smart solutions to the entitlement crisis, and follow simple budget and accounting principles that hardworking American families follow on a daily basis to stay afloat.”
Rep. Barton also spoke out against the issue. “Unfortunately, back room deals with little transparency or an adequate review time have become a new norm in Congress,” Barton said in a statement obtained by Breitbart Texas. I cannot and will not vote for a budget that is drafted in this manner. To make matters worse, this bill does not address in, any substantial way, runaway government spending. We have yet again kicked the can down the road on the bigger underlying issue of entitlement reform.”
“Simply put, it’s too much spending and too little savings,” Barton continued. “This is the all too typical Washington budget- spend the money now and save in the 10th year and I am tired of it. Funding our government is an essential responsibility of Congress, but this budget deal does not come close to my expectations. This budget will increase federal spending in each of the next three years. In order to achieve a meaningful and lasting budget, we must address entitlements sooner rather than later.”
Rep. Roger Williams also voted against the measure. “Four years ago Congress passed a budget to rein in Washington’s out of control spending, and this recent deal violates those caps while raising the debt ceiling simultaneously,” Williams said in a statement obtained by Breitbart Texas. “America’s financial charades need to be put in order. Despite President Obama’s favorite claim of shrinking deficits, we are increasing the balance on our national credit card while at the same time over-drafting our checking account again and again.”
Breitbart Texas has not received any statements from the Republican representatives who voted with the Democrats in support of this plan.
UPDATE: Representative Mac Thornberry sent Breitbart Texas the following comment in support of his vote:
I have always believed that the first and most important job of the federal government is to defend our country. Our military has been the target of repeated funding cuts, and it has been used by the President as a political bargaining chip. They deserve better than that.
This bill is far from perfect, but it does provide predictable funding for our nation’s security at a time when we are sending our men and women in uniform out into an increasingly dangerous world. That is the primary reason I voted for it. The measure also includes significant improvements to some programs like Social Security Disability and repealing the automatic enrollment under Obamacare.
This legislation is not ideal, but it is far better than any alternative that could have been enacted with this President.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and is a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.
Note: This article has been updated with additional information.
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