**Earlier today, Kuster spoke at a press conference highlighting Democratic unity for a clean debt ceiling vote**

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02), Chair of the New Democrat Coalition, voted against the extreme Republican majority’s dangerous debt default bill. Kuster is leading the charge to pass a clean debt ceiling increase. Today, she led a letter to House Republican leadership, with nearly 200 signatories, calling on Republicans to protect the full faith and credit of the United States by lifting the debt ceiling without any extraneous policies attached.

“Congress must pay our bills. Yet, the extreme Republican majority’s so-called resolution to the debt ceiling crisis is a far cry from an actual policy solution,” said Kuster. “Instead, their plan ties our debt — money we have already spent — with deeply unpopular spending cuts that would hurt our nation’s veterans and make it harder for American families to put food on the table. As Members of Congress, it is our responsibility to protect the full faith and credit of the United States. That means paying our debts responsibly. I am ready and willing to work with Republicans to ensure future fiscal responsibility, but we can’t do that unless we pass a clean debt ceiling increase.”

A Republican default crisis would hurt hardworking families in New Hampshire:

• Jeopardize Social Security payments for 96,000 families in NH-02, who do not deserve to be used as political pawns.
• Disrupt roughly $184,000,000 a month in total Social Security income for families in NH-02, making it harder for many of them to make ends meet.
• Put health benefits at risk for the 234,000 people in NH-02 who get their health insurance through Medicare, Medicaid, or Veterans Affairs coverage.

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