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Toomey's debt policy legislation

Published by Tim McNulty on .

Pat Toomey -- a busy man these days -- has an Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal today about the debt ceiling:

In fact, if Congress refuses to raise the debt ceiling, the federal government will still have far more than enough money to fully service our debt. Next year, for instance, about 6.5% of all projected federal government expenditures will go to interest on our debt, and tax revenue is projected to cover about 67% of all government expenditures. With roughly 10 times more income than needed to honor our debt obligations, why would we ever default?

To make absolutely sure, I intend to introduce legislation that would require the Treasury to make interest payments on our debt its first priority in the event that the debt ceiling is not raised. This would not only ensure the continued confidence of investors at home and abroad, but would enable us to have an honest debate about the consequences of our eventual decision about the debt ceiling.

Reminder: his cohort Bob Casey is Downtown today for a presser with the Steelworkers on China policy.

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