Rep. Napolitano Calls for Compromise, Not Games During Sham Default Vote

(Washington, DC) Today, Rep. Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA) voted in favor of H.R. 2693, a bill that mirrors the legislation that Democrats in the Senate have proposed to raise the debt ceiling and avoid a national default. The vote was largely symbolic, using an artificial set of rules set up by Republican leadership that guaranteed it would fail. The House is expected to receive and vote on the actual Senate bill early next week.

“The American people want unity, not political games,” Napolitano said. “This bill was created by Republicans with special rules that guaranteed it would not pass. We are now only days away from default, and we need real compromise instead of continuing to waste precious time.

“We must avoid default without damaging Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security. I will vote to protect the best interests of my district and will watch for any ‘poison pills’ that may be inserted into the default prevention deal during the final days. We have to be careful about what may be added to this legislation that could affect the future of the Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and the millions of Americans who rely on them.

“I also object to the way the Republicans introduced ‘presidential candidate’ Rep. Michele Bachmann on the floor today. We should be doing the people’s business on the floor of the House of Representatives, not campaigning for outside office. This continuing focus on politics when we are days away from the first default on U.S. debt in history is inappropriate.

“I urge my Republican colleagues to do the will of the American people and move forward on serious efforts to avoid default. It is time to compromise and prevent a national disaster.”

H.R. 2693 was brought to a vote under suspension rules, which means it required a two-thirds vote to pass instead of the usual majority vote. Suspension rules are the same procedures usually used to name post offices or pass other uncontroversial pieces of legislation, and were not used during the previous House vote on preventing national default.

The bill voted on today mirrors Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s proposal, which has yet to be voted on in the Senate.

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