Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, both Republicans, voted against the bipartisan debt ceiling deal that recently passed Congress.
President Joe Biden, who helped negotiate the deal, said Senators from both parties voted to protect the hard-earned economic progress made and prevent a first-ever default by the United States. But Senator Scott slammed passage of the debt ceiling legislation that he said “will allow the federal government to hit $35 trillion in debt and does nothing to stop Joe Biden’s raging inflation crisis.”
Senator Rubio also voted against H.R. 3746, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, even though some Republicans say the deal avoided a catastrophic economic meltdown. Democrats say it protected the Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits of millions of Americans.
“I voted no today because this legislation will only bury us deeper in debt and does nothing to stop the rampant inflation Biden and the Democrats have caused with their addiction to reckless government spending,” Senator Rick Scott said after the vote.
Senator Scott currently faces a Republican primary challenger, Keith Gross, who said he would not vote for the debt ceiling deal. The Republican Senate candidate also took on Florida Republicans who voted for the legislation.
“This is a win for Democrats,” Gross told West Orlando News. “This ‘deal’ doesn’t reflect the best interests of the American people and allows Biden to continue to spend us into oblivion. How can we justify these minor spending cuts while simultaneously adding $4 trillion more to our debt? This deal is leading our country towards an even bigger fiscal disaster. I’m ashamed my hometown Congressman Neil Dunn voted in favor. Any Republican that votes ‘yes’ should reconsider which party they support.”
President Biden agreed the legislation was a win. “No one gets everything they want in a negotiation, but make no mistake: this bipartisan agreement is a big win for our economy and the American people,” he said.
