John,
The United States could soon default on its debt and be left unable to pay for vital programs like Social Security. To keep that from happening, Congress must pass a bill to raise the debt ceiling.
But we can’t sacrifice the environment to get there.
In negotiations over the debt-ceiling bill, some members of Congress are only looking out for the interests of Big Oil. They won’t cooperate unless they can attach provisions undermining bedrock environmental laws or slashing federal spending for the Environmental Protection Agency to address toxic pollution and climate change, as well as gutting resources for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to recover endangered species like grizzly bears and wolves.
For decades both Democrats and Republicans have raised the debt ceiling to make sure the country pays its debts on time. Holding the economy hostage to advance extreme legislation could have severe, lasting consequences for the environment and public health.
Thankfully, there’s still time to make sure that harmful legislation isn’t attached to the debt-ceiling bill.
You can help: Ask your senators to reject any dirty deals and raise the debt ceiling without adding harmful provisions or cutting funding for essential programs.
