PENNSYLVANIA — Last night Senator Pat Toomey voted to put the U.S. economy at risk by blocking a debt ceiling suspension on a party line vote. But Senator Toomey repeatedly voted to raise the debt ceiling before — so what has changed this time?
After all, Senator Toomey voted to raise or suspend the debt ceiling the last two times it became an issue. After he voted for President Trump’s 2017 tax giveaway, which added roughly $2 trillion to the national debt over 10 years while opening new loopholes for the wealthy and made it easier for corporations to ship Pennsylvanians’ jobs overseas, Senator Toomey and Republicans voted to raise the debt ceiling in February 2018
The following year, in August 2019, Senator Toomey again voted to raise the debt ceiling.
By opposing a debt ceiling increase now, Senator Toomey isn’t just being a hypocrite — he’s putting the American economy at risk. The impact of not raising the debt ceiling could be:
- The loss of 6 million jobs.
- The loss of upwards of $15 trillion in household wealth.$20 billion in Social Security payments for the disabled and elderly population would be put in jeopardy.
- Military and federal employees would be at risk of not receiving their paycheck.
“It’s shameful that Senator Toomey will give handout after handout to his wealthy donors, but refuse to take this critical step to protect our jobs and economy in Pennsylvania,” said PA Dems Spokesperson Rosie Lapowsky. “Pennsylvanians elected Senator Toomey to fight for their interests and by refusing to fund the government, and he is failing to do that job. Toomey is playing self-serving political games that have real life consequences for the people of Pennsylvania.”
###