Orlando Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost released a statement following his vote to pass H.R. 3746, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, the bipartisan debt ceiling legislation brokered by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The debt ceiling deal avoided a catastrophic economic meltdown and protected the Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits of millions of Americans.
“I commend President Biden and his Administration for brokering a deal that frees our country from the Republican manufactured crisis of defaulting on our nation’s debt,” Rep. Frost said. “Had it been up to House GOP leadership, the American people would be staring down the barrel of massive cuts to vital programs like Social Security and Medicaid and on the brink of an economic recession.”
While defending his vote, the Orlando Democrat pointed out that in addition to preventing a devastating default on our debt that would have triggered a recession, cost millions of jobs, devastated retirement accounts, the legislation:
- Rejects work requirements for Medicaid.
- Adds new exemptions for SNAP to ensure assistance to veterans and people experiencing homelessness, as well as former foster youth.
- Fully funds veterans’ medical care.
- Protects the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, the PACT Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy, corporate minimum tax, and prescription drug provisions.
“But while millions of Floridians can breathe a sigh of relief that their benefits and healthcare assistance programs are going untouched – we should have never been in this position to begin with, and I remain concerned about provisions that could impact some Floridians’ access to SNAP and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families,” Rep. Frost added. “I am also disappointed in this deal’s failure to live up to the commitments we’ve made to younger generations as student borrowers will see their debt relief vanish before the end of the year, and our communities will see environmental protections stripped and raided as the effects of the climate crisis grow more and more severe in places like Florida.”
President Biden also said the bipartisan agreement is a “big win” for the economy and the American people. But Orlando’s Congressman made a political call for Democrats to rally using the debt ceiling drama to win more elections.
“This compromise makes one thing clear – we cannot and will not allow our nation to relive this hostage situation again,” Rep. Frost said. “Once Democrats control both chambers of Congress, we must take swift and bold action to end the threat of the debt ceiling once and for all.”
Florida Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott voted against the legislation.
