Udall Statement on Senate Vote to Prevent Default
Today, Mark Udall voted for a compromise bill to lift the debt ceiling and prevent default. He released the following statement:
"Today, I cast my vote with relief that we have a bipartisan plan that will prevent the nation from defaulting on our debt obligations for the first time in history. I'm not going to say this bill is what I had hoped for. Among other things, it does nothing to ensure that the wealthiest among us will help shoulder the burden of balancing our books. It doesn't end the wasteful tax breaks for multi-billion dollar corporations that ship our jobs overseas. It also fails to reduce the debt by the $4 trillion economists and market experts have said is essential to provide the shot in the arm of certainty that businesses need to expand and start hiring again. But it will protect our economy from crisis and make a down payment on our debt, two critical first steps.
"I fought to create the bipartisan Bowles-Simpson commission on reducing the deficit, and I still believe the balanced, comprehensive recommendations they made are the best plan going for reducing our structural deficits and long-term debt. We badly need that kind of Colorado common-sense plan. The bill we passed today creates a mechanism to continue the discussion of how to reduce our debt. I'm going to keep fighting for a comprehensive strategy to ensure America is positioned to win the global economic race."