Congressman Charles Bass

July 11, 2011

WASHINGTON – Congressman Charles F. Bass (NH-02) held a telephone town hall meeting this evening with thousands of constituents in the Second Congressional District about the debt limit debate. Bass was joined by a special guest for part of the call, the Chief Economist with the House Ways and Means Committee Warren Payne.

Bass said:

"The debt ceiling debate has confirmed what we all know: that our nation cannot continue on this path of out-of-control spending without making a serious effort to get to the root of the problem. We have got to stop spending money we don't have if we want to create jobs and turn our economy around. As I travel around the Second District, meeting with people face to face and conducting telephone town hall meetings like I did today, my constituents are telling me they want major reforms in how Washington spends their hard-earned tax dollars.

"While telephone town hall meetings can never substitute for the real thing, they give me a chance to reach thousands of constituents while I am working in Washington and hear firsthand their questions and comments. I enjoyed our discussion today and encourage constituents to visit my website (bass.house.gov) for information about the next one."

Bass also conducted three polls during the call, the results of which are below:

Question 1: Do you support raising the debt limit only if it's paired with cuts in government spending?
Yes = 53 percent
No = 41 percent
Unsure = 6 percent

Question 2: Do you support tax increases as part of any agreement to raise the debt ceiling?
Yes = 49 percent
No = 46 percent
Unsure = 5 percent

Question 3: If a debt limit vote includes cuts in spending, do you think all federal spending should be on the table, such as defense and entitlement programs?
Yes = 80 percent
No = 15 percent
Unsure = 5 percent

In addition to hosting telephone town hall meetings from Washington on a regular basis, Bass has already held five in-person town hall meetings in Salem, Jefferson, Hillsborough, Colebrook, and Milford, with plans to conduct many more throughout the rest of the year.

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