Lee Gets Vote on Amendment to Protect National Security from Dangerous Debt
March 23, 2013
WASHINGTON—Tonight, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) received a vote on his amendment to create a point of order against considering any budget where outlays for net interest payments on the debt exceed outlays for national defense in any year of the budget window. The motion failed in a vote of 53 to 46.
“Our national debt should not continue to grow at such a level that the cost of servicing the debt cripples the real, Constitutionally obligated duties of government,” said Senator Lee. “This point of order would have drawn a line in the sand, saying that we should not simply accept budgets where our debt grows so large that the cost of interest, much of which is going to China, exceeds the cost of defense. Fixing our spending problem and getting our debt under control will not only keep America solvent, but also secure."
“Our national debt should not continue to grow at such a level that the cost of servicing the debt cripples the real, Constitutionally obligated duties of government,” said Senator Lee. “This point of order would have drawn a line in the sand, saying that we should not simply accept budgets where our debt grows so large that the cost of interest, much of which is going to China, exceeds the cost of defense. Fixing our spending problem and getting our debt under control will not only keep America solvent, but also secure."
