WASHINGTON, DC – Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern (OK-01) released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act. 

“We could not have gotten to this victory today without the hard-working determination of my colleagues on the Republican Study Committee,” said Chairman Hern. “Our membership has taken the debt limit discussion seriously since the very first week of this Congress. Over the last several months, RSC Members offered hundreds of policy ideas, had numerous frank and open conversations about the challenges facing our nation, and remained unified behind the strong conviction to rein in our spending, lower inflation, and begin the process of paying down our debts.” 

Chairman Hern continued, “However, we are not finished. This is just the first step – we still have to get this bill through the Senate and on to the President’s desk. I urge my colleagues to stand their ground, fight for the conservative principles in this legislation, and continue the work to get this bill to the finish line. We will not allow the Senate to water down this legislation, because we know that fiscal responsibility is not a partisan concept. Our work is not done until this bill is signed into law.” 

After the passage of the Limit, Save, Grow Act, Chairman Hern sent this letter to Members of the Republican Study Committee, calling for Members to stand strong and do the hard work of getting the Limit, Save, Grow Act through the Senate. 

Timeline of RSC Action on the Debt Limit: 

1. January 11 – RSC hosted CBO Director Phil Swagel for the first RSC Lunch of the new Congress for a conversation on our nation’s debt crisis.  
2. January 19 – Chairman Hern wrote a letter to his colleagues on the Debt Limit, asking for submissions of policy proposals to be included in RSC’s framework. [...see page 3]
3. February 1 – The Steering Committee approved a framework of seven key principles for debt limit negotiations. [...see page 6]
4. March 1 – CBO Director Phil Swagel joined RSC again to deliver an update on our nation’s debt crisis. He warned that even though we have record high income, our debt is growing due to out-of-control spending. [...pics]
5. March 8 – Chairman Hern released a policy menu of specific proposals, expanding on the seven principles for debt limit negotiations. [...see page 10]
6. March 8 – RSC conducted a survey of Members, asking which policies should be tied to a debt limit increase. Energy security overwhelmingly won [...see page 18]
7. March 15 – RSC released the Debt Limit Playbook [...read]
8. April 12 – Chairman Hern wrote to RSC members calling for the passage of a strong debt limit bill before the end of the April legislative session. [...read]