“This legislation will increase the debt limit until February 7 of next year. By extending our borrowing ability, these amendments will avoid the damage a default would cause to our recovering economy, to businesses large and small, and to our people who desperately need a stable economy and continued job growth”, said Rep. Rogers the powerful Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee last night just hours from a default on the obligations of the United States. Pictured Here: Tea Party Republicans protest the raising of the debt limit outside Washington D.C.
On October 16, just before the 11th hour a deal was struck between the Republicans and Democrats to avoid an economic catastrophe, Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky the powerful Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee asked for and was granted permission to address the United States House of Representatives on the urgent need to pass legislation (H.R. 2775) to avoid the default.
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise today to present H.R. 2775. This legislation will raise the Nation’s debt ceiling to avoid default, reopen the doors of the Federal Government, and end this unfortunate shutdown.”
“The legislation before us is Senate amendments to H.R. 2775. The Senate has just passed this bill, and now it is up to the House to send it to the President for his signature. It is the product of a final agreement between Republicans and Democrats to help put us back on stable ground with an open government and without the threat of default as we look to find a long-term comprehensive solution to our multitude of fiscal problems”, he said.
“First and foremost, it provides critical funding for operating the Federal Government at the current annual rate of $986 billion through January 15 of next year to end the government shutdown. The resolution includes a limited number of noncontroversial or technical changes called “anomalies.” Many have already been passed by the House and the Senate. A few are new, such as provisions to ensure the smooth reopening of the government, to provide due compensation for Federal employees and other funding for shutdown costs, to provide funding for the FAA to continue current operations without interruption, and so on. These have been included to prevent irrevocable harm to vital government programs, to continue critical services, and to ensure good governance”, he added.
“To be clear, Madam Speaker, the CR portion of this resolution is virtually clean and is essentially identical to the legislation I introduced in the House in early September. Secondly, this legislation will increase the debt limit until February 7 of next year. By extending our borrowing ability, these amendments will avoid the damage a default would cause to our recovering economy, to businesses large and small, and to our people who desperately need a stable economy and continued job growth. Lastly, the resolution before us will help protect against fraud and abuse by requiring income verifications for individuals seeking subsidies under the ObamaCare act”, Rogers said.
“Essentially, this bill before us tonight allows us to move on. It deals with the Nation’s immediate short-term problem and allows time for Congress to address the broader picture: what the real drivers of our debt are, how we can keep from reaching the debt limit in the future, and how we avoid staggering from fiscal crisis to fiscal crisis”, said Rep. Rogers of Kentucky (source: Congressional Record http://thomas.loc.gov).
Rep. Rogers current Committee Assignments include:
House Appropriations Committee (Chairman)
House Republican Steering Committee