Noem Supports Plan To Prioritize Funding For Seniors, Military

Press Release

U.S. Representative Kristi Noem (R-SD) cosponsored a bill to prioritize federal government dollars on the most important obligations in the event that the debt ceiling is reached. Specifically, the bill would direct the U.S. Treasury to continue funding our obligations for Social Security, Medicare, military pay, and public debt to prevent default.

"South Dakota seniors and our military should not be held hostage because Washington cannot get its act together. This bill rightly prioritizes our commitments to Social Security and Medicare as well as military pay so politicians in Washington cannot use those obligations as a bargaining chip to extract a bad deal that will raise taxes and increase our nation's debt without real fiscal reforms," said Noem.

Treasury officials have said that the U.S. will reach its borrowing limit on August 2nd. Additionally, President Obama recently said he cannot guarantee Social Security checks will go out on or after August 3rd.

"Regardless of the outcome of a debt limit deal, the federal government will continue to operate and money will continue to come into the treasury. This plan simply directs the incoming funds to our most important priorities. The President's comments about Social Security are political tactics aimed to scare seniors. This bill I am supporting today would ensure those payments and help end the stunts. Hopefully it will also help put the focus back on solving our nation's fiscal problems," said Noem.

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