On the recordJanuary 23, 2013
Over the last 2 years, the debt ceiling has been illegitimately demonized, politicized, and mischaracterized. If it were possible to give voice to the debt ceiling, it might reasonably ask the question: Where do I go to get my reputation back? The debt ceiling is not a forward-looking vehicle designed to give the President the power to spend more. It is a backward-looking vehicle designed to give the administration the ability to pay bills that have already been incurred by the Congress. We've all sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution. We, therefore, have a constitutional obligation to protect the full faith and credit of the United States to prevent a default and to stop holding the economy hostage to economic and ideological extremism. The American people deserve a meaningful, long-term increase in the debt ceiling that will give us the stability to create economic growth. That is the reason why I urge a ``no'' vote on this legislative gimmick.
