Congressman Jim Gerlach (PA-6th District) voted on Thursday to put the brakes on Congress’ addiction to borrow from our children and grandchildren, opposing a measure that would hike the amount each U.S. citizen would owe to pay off the national debt to approximately $46,000 per person.

Under the proposal supported by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the national debt limit would increase by 15.3 percent to a whopping $14.3 trillion. Thanks to the floundering, $1 trillion stimulus bill enacted last year and other costly government spending sprees, our national debt is on pace to reach $25.7 trillion by 2020 – a 147 percent increase over the 2009 debt level.

“Congress cannot keep burying taxpayers and future generations under a growing mountain of debt,” Gerlach said. “Speaker Pelosi’s borrowing addiction is putting Congress in the history books for all the wrong reasons. Our annual budget deficits are at the highest levels since World War II. And today, Congress approved the largest, one-time increase in the national debt. Borrowing at this pace cannot continue. That’s why I believe Congress needs to start working on enacting a Constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget. Budget gimmicks and empty promises will no longer work and threaten our nation’s long-term prospects for prosperity.”

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