Congressman Maxwell Frost Statement on Debt Ceiling Vote
WASHINGTON D.C — Today, Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10) released a statement following his vote to pass H.R. 3746, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, a bipartisan piece of legislation brokered by President Biden to avoid a catastrophic economic meltdown and protect the Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits of millions of Americans.
In addition to preventing a devastating default on our debt that would have triggered a recession, cost millions of jobs, devastated retirement accounts, and undermined our post-pandemic economic progress, the legislation:
- Rejects work requirements for Medicaid.
- Adds new exemptions for SNAP to ensure assistance to veterans and people experiencing homelessness, as well as former foster youth.
- Fully funds veterans’ medical care.
- And protects the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, the PACT Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy, corporate minimum tax, and prescription drug provisions.
In a statement, Rep. Frost says:
“I commend President Biden and his Administration for brokering a deal that frees our country from the Republican manufactured crisis of defaulting on our nation’s debt. Had it been up to House GOP leadership, the American people would be staring down the barrel of massive cuts to vital programs like Social Security and Medicaid and on the brink of an economic recession.
“But while millions of Floridians can breathe a sigh of relief that their benefits and healthcare assistance programs are going untouched – we should have never been in this position to begin with, and I remain concerned about provisions that could impact some Floridians' access to SNAP and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
“I am also disappointed in this deal’s failure to live up to the commitments we’ve made to younger generations as student borrowers will see their debt relief vanish before the end of the year, and ourcommunities will see environmental protections stripped and raided as the effects of the climate crisis grow more and more severe in places like Florida.
“This compromise makes one thing clear – we cannot and will not allow our nation to relive this hostage situation again. Once Democrats control both chambers of Congress, we must take swift and bold action to end the threat of the debt ceiling once and for all.”
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