FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sara Robertson (Sara.Robertson2@mail.house.gov)

Rep. Crawford Votes to Prevent Default and Rein In Reckless Spending in DC

5/31/2023

Washington – Congressmen Rick Crawford (AR-01) voted on Wednesday night in support of the Fiscal Responsibility Act. The legislation imposes record spending reductions as it prevents a disastrous default on our nation’s debt.

“House Republicans forced President Biden and Senate Democrats to accept multi-trillion dollar restraints on their addiction to deficit spending as we also prevented a catastrophic default,” said Rep. Crawford.

“There were essentially three choices here. First was to default. Second was to allow a clean debt limit increase with no conditions. Third was a deal that accepts a debt limit increase in exchange for the largest deficit reduction measures in history,” Crawford added.

The legislation Crawford supported, and which passed the House, would, among other things:

• Reduce the federal debt by $2.1 trillion over 6 years compared to current law.
• Slash $400 million from the CDC “Global Health Fund” that sends taxpayer money to China; and cut billions in other wasteful, redundant, or unnecessary programs for the largest total rescissions package in history. 
• Nix the total FY23 funding request for new IRS agents who were to be unleashed on middle class taxpayers by the Biden Administration.
• Accelerate pro-growth infrastructure and energy projects and cut costs with the first significant permitting reform to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) since 1982.
• Ensure full funding for critical veterans’ programs and national defense priorities, while protecting Social Security and Medicare.

“I readily acknowledge this bill was far from perfect. But options one and two were wholly unacceptable. I took the least bad option. But the fact is, we should have never been in this position to begin with, and that’s the real travesty. Spending in Washington has run amok and tonight’s vote begins the long-overdue process to put an end to the spending insanity that endangers our economy and national security,” Crawford concluded.