Oklahoma Rep. Hern Leads Group Of Republicans Opposing Increase To National Debt Ceiling

Representative Kevin Hern, (R) OK-1, led 106 Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives in a letter to the American people this week, stating that they will not support any attempt by the Democrats to raise the debt ceiling.

The letter is similar to one signed by 46 Republicans in the Senate and comes with the Treasury now within a month or two of running out of cash to pay off the nation’s debts. An August 2019 agreement to suspend the federal debt limit expired July 31.

Historically, Congress has always moved to suspend or increase the nation’s debt limit with bipartisan support, but Rep. Hern said he and other Republicans will not participate this time because the need to increase the debt ceiling, he said, is solely due to the Democrats’ own spending choices.

“Over the last year, [Speaker] Pelosi hijacked a global pandemic to rationalize rampant spending, and has since used the pandemic to justify and normalize unprecedented, reckless spending levels,” said Rep. Hern. “I will not be a part of it, and that includes raising the debt ceiling. Democrats have the majorities in both chambers; they have the White House. They have the power to spend the money on their own, so they have the ability to raise the debt ceiling on their own.”

The national debt increased from approximately $20 trillion to $27 trillion under President Trump, a 35 percent increase. Democratic leaders point out they joined Republicans in increasing or suspending the nation’s borrowing limit three times in Trump’s four years and are urging the GOP to help them now.

“I cannot believe the Republicans would let the country default,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, (D) Majority Leader, last month. “It has always been bipartisan to deal with the debt ceiling.”

Congressman Hern wasn’t happy with the deficit spending that happened under the Trump administration, but he’s even more critical now that Democrats are in charge and are trying to push through their massive $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package, which Hern views as reckless and unnecessary.

“If they’re going to increase the debt limit from $28.5 trillion where it’s at, they’re going to have to do something about their spending bill,” said Hern in an interview last week. “Because their spending bill is the reason we are having to increase it.”

Hern said, the bottom line is, the Democrats don’t need GOP help to increase the debt limit. He said if the Democrats want to pass a budget without any Republican support, they can raise the debt limit the same way.

“We should not default on our debts under any circumstances. If Democrats threaten a default,” the Hern letter reads, “it will only be because they refuse to vote for the debt ceiling increase necessitated by their own irresponsible spending.”

While 106 Republicans, including Hern, signed his letter, there are another 106 - including three from Oklahoma - who didn't. So it remains to be seen if, in the end, no Republicans will vote to raise the debt limit.