Himes Reluctantly Supports Debt Ceiling Bill

Despite what he described as "painful" cuts contained in the bill, Rep. Jim Himes cast a vote Monday evening in favor of the debt ceiling compromise reached by President Obama and congressional leaders over the weekend.

Himes was one of 95 House Democrats to back the Budget Control Act of 2011, which passed by a vote 269-161. The bill would enact a series of significant spending cuts in return for stepped debt ceiling increases, staving off a looming — and potentially devastating — default by the U.S. government.

"The cuts in this bill will be painful, but the bill protects critical programs that support education and our neediest citizens," Himes said in a statement Monday.

"Most importantly, we have removed the calamitous specter of a default that would have devastated our economy and hurt every American family and business," Himes said. "We also removed both the threat of another absurd and dangerous debt ceiling fight, and deflected the House majority’s attack on Medicare and Medicaid."

Of the state's House delegation — all Democrats — only Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-3) joined Himes in backing the bill. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Rep. John Larson (CT-1), and Rep. Chis Murphy (CT-5) voted against the measure, along with 92 other Democrats and 66 Republicans.

Specifically, the bill calls for $917 billion in spending reductions over the next decade — $21 billion of which would be carried out in 2012 — and the formation of a bipartisan joint committee tasked with identifying $1.2 to $1.5 trillion in additional cuts and/or revenue by Nov. 23.

The committee's proposal would then be subject to an up-or-down vote by both chambers before Dec. 23, with no possibility for amendments or a Senate filibuster. 

If Congress fails to approve the measure — or if the committee can't reach an agreement — automatic across-the-board spending cuts would go into effect, many of them in national security and Medicare.

In return, the debt ceiling would be immediately raised by $400 billion, followed by a second stage of $500 billion and a third stage of $1.2 to $1.5 trillion. Under the terms of the bill, Congress could still vote to block the latter increases, but a veto by President Obama would almost certainly ensure that they enter into force.

The bill now moves to the Senate, where it is widely expected to pass on Tuesday before being signed into law.

According to the Connecticut Mirror, Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday that he was "inclined to support" the agreement but that he had questions about potential defense cuts contained in the bill.

Meanwhile Sen. Joseph Lieberman tweeted Tuesday morning that he is "supporting the debt ceiling compromise proposal because its positives outweigh its negatives," 

"However, we must do more to address entitlement programs which are the real drivers of our [national] debt," he added, stating that he and Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn would send a Medicare reform proposal to the joint committee envisioned by the bill.