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U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana threatened on Monday to resign from Congress if no debt commission is passed this year.
Her departure would reduce the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and create the possibility that Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb would have to call a special election before May.
Spartz announced in February that she will not run for re-election in 2024 to focus more on her family.
“I’ve done many very difficult things being one woman standing many times with many very long hours and personal sacrifices, but there is a limitation to human capacity,” Spartz said in a statement. “If Congress does not pass a debt commission this year to move the needle on the crushing national debt and inflation, at least at the next debt ceiling increase at the end of 2024, I will not continue sacrificing my children for this circus with a complete absence of leadership, vision, and spine. I cannot save this Republic alone.”
With just hours to spare—and after days of fierce debate among lawmakers—Congress avoided a government shutdown on Saturday with a temporary spending plan. The deal will keep the government open for 45 days while policymakers hash out a more long-term budget.
Indiana’s Congressional delegation was mostly split on the plan. GOP Reps. Jim Baird, Larry Buschon and Erin Houchin, along with Democrat Reps. Andre Carson and Frank Mrvan, voted in favor of the measure in the House.
Indiana GOP Sen. Todd Young voted for the plan, but Sen. Mike Braun did not.
Spartz and fellow Republican Reps. Jim Banks, Greg Pence and Rudy Yakym voted against it.
Spartz and other Republicans in the House continue to push for the formation of a bipartisan debt commission to focus on the long-term effort to curb government spending and bring down the national debt.
An earlier spending bill voted on in the House last week would have created the bipartisan commission but ultimately failed to pass. The latest version approved over the weekend did not include language on the commission.
Spartz criticized the deal on WISH-TV on Sunday, and said, too, that she’s “open-minded” about Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz’s threat to force a vote to remove Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker.
“This deal has more money, actually more money than Nancy Pelosi gave to Biden, but doesn’t have a plan to deal with the country’s crushing debt,” Spartz said. “(The debt) is a very important national security issue, but unfortunately Republicans didn’t have the backbone to put it forward.”
The conservative Ukrainian-born politician represents north-central Indiana in the Fifth District.
The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, not-for-profit news organization that covers state government, policy and elections.
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do it
👍
God is Great!! Now Hurry up and take your outdated weirdos with you back to where you come from.
Ahhhh, too bad. We will miss ya… craziness and spineless fealty to tRump
Gotta agree with all previous comments.
I CONCUR
Yes, the first order of business for the BS debt commission ought to be spent studying how Trump’s 2 trillion dollar tax cuts contributed to the nation’s debt. Then they can examine the other 3 or 4 trillion dollars Bush racked up in his war to find non-existent nukes in Iraq.
But Spartz, a Ukrainian by birth, and who along with Mike Braun and Jim Banks voted to cut Medicare and Social Security by 1/3 or else shut down the government, cannot be bothered to renounce the Republican Party that has now embraced Putin. She’s got principles alright.
Thanks for your resignation. It is accepted.
Humbly, A Voter
Fake news folks – this person has got it all wrong – just skip even trying to understand it.
Rebecca, calling something fake news is a tacit admission it’s true and you’ve got no other defense.
Can we investigate dims’ non-stop deficit spending while you’re at it?
Joe – not true. Fake news means its fake information. Firstly, the tax cuts under Trump actually increased receipts by growing GDP. But that may be too complicated for you to understand. The last year in office for Trump was during COVID and because of the Faucci shutdown it cost the country Trillions. Yes I said Faucci – as he was the master puppeteer in making sure no one knew the truth behind COVID. That’s complicated too and requires some thinking regarding cause and effect. Hence why I simply said “Fake News”
How soon can this happen?
Good riddance
Always amazing how members of Congress want to cut Medicare and Social Security. Are they on either? No they have their own very lucrative plan. Just have higher earners pay into SS based upon a higher earning cap. Seems simple.
What happen to her concern for supposed “fellow Ukranians”? No mention of aid or funding. Yep, time for her and several others to go.
HOW IS SHE ABLE TO WIN A CONGRESSIONAL SEAT TO BEGIN WITH. PLEASE RESIGN NOW AND TAKE YOUR FRIEND MTG WITH YOU
Update: She just voted not to table Gaetz’s motion to vacate. We’ll see her final vote.. albeit, I’m perfectly fine with these right-wing sycophants handing Democrats, the minority party, additional power.
She signed up for a thankless and impossible job. Between the gaslighting and lies by Democrats and the spineless Republicans who are afraid of their shadows, Washington D.C. is broken. There is no fixing it without a HUUUUGE shakeup among the political class and a draining of the swamp.
I commend her for not getting in line to simply get rich by taking bribes and getting insider tips like many of them do.
There were plenty of rumors she did that before she got into office… it’s never been exactly clear where her wealth came from …
It’s not “Washington DC” that’s broken: it’s the Republican Party. They’re loonies.
A new commission to spend money. Bad idea Spartz.
High time to go.
As long as politicians have loyalty to a party and not to the people they represent, local, state and national politics is BROKE!
I think its so sad that TWO politicians are upset about our national $33T in debt and both of them are being made fun of and told to quit.
The rest of the group is perfectly willing to get their bribes and payoffs and lucrative bennies to stay in power and do NOTHING – but you all would rather malign the TWO standouts.
What is wrong with society