Mast Provides Rationale for Voting Against Debt Ceiling Agreement

The Fiscal Responsibility Act, the bill that was rushed through the Legislative Branch to address the debt limit saw a considerable number of Florida House Republicans vote no. Representative Brian Mast (R-FL) was one of those Republicans.

He provided reasoning for his opposition to the bill in a blog post on his congressional website.

“Republicans passed our solution over a month ago: it’s the Limit, Save, Grow Act. However, the Senate refused to take up the bill and President Biden didn’t even bother to look at it. Instead, he spent three months demanding a clean debt ceiling increase so that he could continue on his spending bender,” stated Rep. Mast.

Simply put, the Florida Congressman did not believe that the debt agreement did not advance the conservative agenda enough. It was not “a big enough step forward.”

“Let me be clear: there is nothing in the bill that would be a step backwards for conservatives.  For example, it would claw back $29 trillion of the unused COVID funds and create an Administrative PAYGO for the first time - meaning the White House would have to cut a dollar from an existing program for every dollar he wants to spend on a new executive order. But I don’t believe it was a big enough step forward,” said Mast.

Mast also referenced the notion that the bill freezes the hiring of the 87,000 IRS agents for a year but fails to defund it.

“That’s why I voted against the bill - because I don’t believe this bill maximized this rare opportunity to address a major threat to our national security: the $32 trillion national debt and Democrats’ liberal agenda. Americans have had enough with the Biden Administration’s spending problem, and Republicans should not encourage his habit for the next two years.”

The bill passed in the House by a tally of 314 to 117.

Florida Representatives that noted no included Vern Buchanan (R), Kat Cammack (R), Byron Donalds (R), Matt Gaetz (R), Anna Paulina Luna (R), Cory Mills (R), Bill Posey (R), Greg Steube (R), Mike Waltz (R), Frederica Wilson (D).