Steve Southerland Rejects Boehner Debt Plan, and So Does the Senate

U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Tallahassee, says he voted against House Speaker John Boehner's plan to trim spending and raise the debt ceiling because it "did not offer solutions that rise to the level of our historic economic challenges."

Southerland, a first-term congressman who defeated Democrat Allen Boyd last year, said in a statement late Friday:

I believeSpeaker Boehner deserves credit for crafting the best solution he thought possible after enduring months of stonewalling and political parlor tricks from the president and Senate Democrats. However, I am concerned that theHouse Budget Control Acthands President Obama a $900 billion debt-limit increase without the guarantee of a federalbalanced budget amendment or the trillions of dollars in spending cuts and caps necessary to protect Americas AAA credit rating.

We must do more than put forth a noble effort.We must implement the very best solution for resolving the fiscal fiasco facing our country. For the sake of our children and grandchildren, we mustbe bold enough to make decisions based on whats best for Americas future, rather than whats politically expedient today.

Unlike other tea party-backed freshmen who were persuaded to back the Boehner proposal -- which was promptly rejected by the Democrat-led Senate -- Southerland has been a consistent budget hawk. He has blasted the Obama administration's failure to produce a plan and opposed what a he calls a series of "budget Band-Aids" from Congress.