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Politics & Government

Carnahan Sounds Off on Debt Ceiling Debate

Local Republicans want spending cuts before raising nation's debt ceiling

As an early August deadline looms for the country to raise its debt limit, the federal lawmaker who represents Oakville in Congress is warning of dire consequences without action.

U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis City, held a teleconference Tuesday morning aimed at showcasing the blowback if Congress doesn’t raise the debt ceiling before August 2. He touted a section on his website delineating the consequences of not raising the debt ceiling to those in the St. Louis area. Those consequences could include, according to Carnahan, interruptions to government services such as public school funding and Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.

Carnahan said he’s received over 500 calls since last Monday into his office from constituents about the debt ceiling debate, particularly those who are concerned about potential cuts to entitlement programs such as Social Security of Medicare.

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“There’s also a very strong consensus that Congress act, that they act responsibly and get this done,” Carnahan said.

Carnahan’s presser comes as lawmakers continue to haggle over whether to raise the debt ceiling by $2.4 trillion. Republicans generally want to pair a debt limit boost with spending decreases. But some Democrats want to cut elsewhere, including increasing taxes on high-income individuals and removing incentives for oil companies.

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Carnahan noted that Republicans voted to increase the debt ceiling numerous times during the Bush Administration. He also said Republicans were reckless with their spending priorities earlier in the decade.

But he also said that constituents want some common ground between the two parties.

“[Our constituents] have been telling us certainly in my office and across the country that Democrats and Republicans for the good of the country need to put our differences aside to get things done to address the immediate issue of the default crisis,” Carnahan said.

SENATE ASPIRANTS SOUND OFF

Meanwhile, two candidates running for U.S. Senate are sounding off about the debt debate.

U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Wildwood, said he is sponsoring a House Republican plan that would, among other things, cap spending to a percentage of the gross domestic product and require passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution before any further debt increases.

“I am cosponsoring and voting for the Cut, Cap and Balance Act of 2011 as a realistic response to the looming debt limit crisis,” said Akin in a press release. “We have a spending problem in Washington not a revenue problem and if we do not recognize and correct the massive overspending we are choosing a path to ultimate financial ruin such as the one Greece now suffers from.”

Carnahan called that aforementioned plan a “gimmick” that could lead to “severe” and “draconian” cuts into the law and the U.S. Constitution.

“To me that is extreme and wrong,” Carnahan said of the Republican plan.

Akin’s announced opponent in the Republican primary – former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman – sent out an e-mail Tuesday morning arguing against Congress “punting” the nation’s fiscal maladies down the road.

“The solution is simple. Reform taxes and stop spending,” Steelman said in the e-mail. “Transform our government into a lean, mean and nimble machine and give our kids a chance at prosperity. [Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida] said it perfectly: ‘Our country needs new taxpayers, not new taxes.’ We must broaden the tax base and incentivize domestic investment. Erase the carve outs and subsidies for special industries that have been forced through by Washington’s best lobbyists.”

Sen. Claire McCaskill – the Missouri Democrat that Akin and Steelman are trying to unseat – said last week in her weekly teleconference with radio reporters that President Barack Obama has shown willingness “to compromise on a lot of things” in the debt ceiling debate.

But she added that “there doesn’t seem to be any willingness on the other side.”

“Not too long ago, the other side of the aisle insisted that we keep writing checks to big oil companies with tax dollars,” McCaskill said. “Hard to figure. Hard to figure that we are on the precipitous of not being able to pay our bills and they are clinging tightly to the notion that the federal taxpayers owe ‘Big Oil’ a check.”

MARTIN AND WAGNER WANT SPENDING CUTS

Two candidates seeking to represent Oakville in the next Congress have also expressed opinions on the debt limit debate.

Former Missouri Republican Party chairwoman Ann Wagner told that she would “break out the government’s credit card and melt it down, because we’re not going to raise the debt ceiling.” And attorney Ed Martin reiterated support for the "Cut, Cap and Balance" legislation being voted on Tuesday in Congress.

Carnahan told that he would run for Congress next year, although he didn’t specify whether it would be in the 1st Congressional District that encompasses most of St. Louis City or the 2nd Congressional District that includes Oakville.

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