Emmer, Curtis introduce Republican-led Deal with the Debt Today Act

U.S. Reps. Tom Emmer (R-MN) and John Curtis (R-UT) on May 15 introduced legislation that would ensure Congress addresses the nation’s growing debt.

Rep. Emmer is a cosponsor of the Deal with the Debt Today Act, H.R. 6887, with bill sponsor Rep. Curtis to amend the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 and to establish a disaster and emergency spending financial offset program, according to the text of the bill.

“This legislation will help ensure Congress actually leads the American people forward by prioritizing needed spending, but also by making responsible decisions to live within our budget,” Rep. Emmer said.

Rep. Curtis pointed out that over the past few months, Congress has passed trillions of dollars in unpaid spending due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While the CARES Act included important provisions to help our economy quickly, Congress cannot keep signing trillion dollar checks with borrowed money, ultimately pushing the burden onto our children and grandchildren,” said Rep. Curtis. “I urge my colleagues to join me in taking the first step towards a sustainable budget. In good conscience, we cannot continue kicking this down the road — we must deal with the debt today.”

If enacted, H.R. 6887 would require spending on emergencies and disasters to be offset, and if Congress became delinquent in voluntarily reducing spending after two years of the bill’s enactment, then proportionate spending reductions would automatically occur across the federal government, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Emmer’s office.

“When I came to Congress, America’s debt was already unsustainable,” Rep. Emmer said. “We cannot continue to add additional spending without providing a way to pay for it. We cannot continue to hope future generations fix our problems.”

H.R. 6887 has been referred for consideration to both the U.S. House Budget Committee and the U.S. House Rules Committee.