Press Releases

Earlier tonight, Congressman Mark Alford (MO-04) voted “no” on the Fiscal Responsibility Act; the debt ceiling package negotiated between Joe Biden and Kevin McCarthy. Ultimately, the legislation does not go far enough to cut our debt, rein in federal spending levels, or make sure our military is properly funded for the emerging threat that is Communist China.

As a response, Congressman Alford released the following video.

The Congressman also issued the below statement.  

“After careful thought, deliberation, constituent consultation, and prayer, I voted “no” on The Fiscal Responsibility Act. While I applaud the efforts of Kevin McCarthy throughout this negotiation process, I cannot in good faith support this debt ceiling package. China is building its military at a much faster pace than we are. This legislation will only exacerbate that deficit. We cannot be expected to properly combat the pacing threat from Communist China if we are capping military spending at 1% growth for FY2025. When factoring in inflation, this operates as a cut.

Secondly, for months, House Republicans have been pushing for a debt ceiling extension of one-year for an amount of $1.5 trillion. With the spending problem this nation has, I cannot support a two-year extension of $4 trillion or 13%. Continuing to allow Congress to spend at this ridiculous rate is unacceptable and it must be stopped.

To make matters worse, the administrative pay-as-you-go measure that was put in place is not enforceable. This oversight mechanism is intended to prevent the President from cutting trillion-dollar checks, but upon further deliberation, we see that the bill text allows for the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to completely override this measure by proving a waiver and asserting that the spending is “necessary for the agency to carry out its programs”. This loophole will only allow the unacceptable spending levels we have seen for years.

 Lastly, when I came to Washington, I swore to Missourians that I would fight to get rid of the new 87,000 IRS agents that will do nothing but harass hardworking Americans. To say the least, this legislation falls well short of fulfilling that promise. The Fiscal Responsibility Act only cuts $1.4 billion of the $80 billion that was allocated to hire those agents.

 After speaking with my team, consulting with numerous constituents, and for the reasons outlined above, I voted ‘no’ on this legislation. As long as I am in Congress, I will never vote for what Washington wants. I will always vote for what Missouri’s 4^th District wants and needs; and they need much better than this bill provides.”