Rep. Chip Roy Vows to Oppose Future Debt Ceiling Increases: ‘That’s a Non-Starter for Me’

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) remained defiant in his opposition to the GOP’s revised spending bill, which failed to pass during a Thursday evening House vote. The last-minute spending bill was intended to avert a government shutdown just a day before the current funding bill was set to expire.

The bill required 290 “yes” votes to pass but secured only 174, with 38 Republicans voting against it, including Roy. Earlier in the day, President-elect Donald Trump had threatened Roy with a primary challenge, criticizing his stance as “ambitious.” Roy responded, saying, “I’m ambitious to make sure that we actually cut spending.”

Roy explained that his ambition was to follow through on the promises made to the American people, particularly regarding fiscal responsibility. “I’m ambitious to do what we said we would do, and I’m in support of the president’s aim to get rid of the debt ceiling issue that he faces with Chuck Schumer wanting to play games with it, play games with the markets,” Roy said to Newsweek.

The Texas lawmaker expressed frustration with the ongoing pattern of temporary solutions and highlighted what he viewed as major flaws in the bill. “This is a [continuing resolution] with an unpaid $110 billion. It turned off a $1.7 trillion pay-go.

It also increased the debt ceiling by some $5 trillion with no structural reform. That’s a no-go,” Roy stated. He further called on his colleagues in leadership to explain why they weren’t agreeing to the spending cuts he believed were necessary.

Roy drew a firm line, vowing not to support any future debt ceiling increases without specific cuts. “That’s a non-starter for me,” he proclaimed. If the situation doesn’t improve, Roy said he could accept the consequences. “I can go home and be happy and content, and I’m going to look my children in the eye and I’m going to know that I didn’t mortgage their future, devalue the dollar and drive up inflation with all this reckless spending,” Roy said.

Just before the vote, Roy delivered a fiery speech on the House floor, calling the GOP-backed bill “embarrassing” and “shameful.” Speaking to reporters after the vote, Roy emphasized that his colleagues would regroup and discuss the next steps.