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Congressman John James Highlights Protections for Seniors, Selfridge Amid Debt Ceiling Debate

Contact: Abby Mitch

In a speech on the House Floor today, Rep. John James emphasized his efforts to safeguard Social Security and Medicare as well as his ongoing commitment to Selfridge Air National Guard Base.

A day after Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech in which he lied that Republicans wanted to “sunset” government programs for seniors, the congressman dropped his first bill, explicitly reinforcing our commitment to older Americans. Rep. James’ “Protecting Social Security and Medicare Act” stops the political fear-mongering and clears the way for lawmakers to find a practical solution for financial responsibility.  

“I spoke with leadership about taking these programs off the negotiation table and that’s exactly what they did,” James said. “As we debate today, seniors can rest assured that the promises we made will not be broken.”

Rep. James further noted that Republicans’ debt ceiling solutions do not jeopardize defense spending, either. 

“I’m also voting for this bill because it doesn’t include cuts to the Pentagon’s budget—particularly Selfridge Air National Guard Base, a pillar of my district and our national defense against northern climate aggressors, like Russia, China, and North Korea,” James said.  

House Republicans’ plan puts a clear limit on how much the government may spend, shrinks the size of bureaucracy by defunding Biden’s army of 87,000 new IRS agents, and puts the brakes on his irresponsible and unfair student loan bailout. Republicans are also growing our economy by unleashing American energy production, strengthening the workforce by restoring commonsense work requirements, and slashing suffocating red tape holding hard-working Americans back. 

Watch Rep. James’ floor speech here. Read more about the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 here

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