by Randy Picking ~ Salina Post

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) Friday issued the following statement on the President’s request to raise the debt ceiling by $1.2 trillion:

“The President’s request to raise the debt ceiling yet again is a painful reminder of Washington’s out-of-control spending habits and failure to live by a budget. Our country’s debt now stands at more than $15 trillion and has grown by nearly $4.5 trillion in the past three years alone.

“Last year, I informed President Obama that I would not vote to raise the debt ceiling unless I saw substantial reductions in spending and structural changes in the way business is conducted in Washington, D.C.

“Nearly one year later, here we are again with the same request – yet the President and Congress have failed to put forward a long-term plan to address our growing fiscal crisis. The recommendations put forward by the Bowles-Simpson Commission represent a good starting point and should be seriously considered by Congress. Given the bipartisan support for many of their proposals, I am disappointed their recommendations continue to be ignored.

“Simply raising the debt limit without a serious plan to reduce our debt will only continue this pattern of fiscal irresponsibility, so I cannot support this request.”