Rep. Lynn Woolsey delivered the following statement at a press conference with fellow members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus:

“Along with my fellow progressives, I voted for a clean debt ceiling increase this spring.  And over the weekend we voted for the Reid compromise.

"But I said on Saturday that I wouldn’t vote for anything worse than the Reid compromise, and this is worse.  I won’t hold my nose again.  I will not vote for this bill. 

“This is not a balanced approach.  It doesn’t ask for shared sacrifice.  It puts virtually the entire burden on working families and the middle class while asking nothing from billionaires, millionaires, and companies that send jobs overseas. 

“This deal does nothing to address the single greatest challenge we face today – creating jobs.  For ordinary Americans who are just barely getting by, who are struggling to pay the bills, who go to bed worried every single night, this deal has nothing to offer them. 

“I can’t believe something as routine as a debt ceiling increase is being used to extort $2.4 trillion in cuts from investments that the American people need. 

“We can reduce spending without taking it out of the hides of ordinary people.  They didn’t cause this deficit; it’s not their responsibility to fix it.  We can meet our fiscal challenges in a way that’s fair, with all Americans doing their part.”

Watch Rep. Woolsey’s comments on the debt ceiling agreement: http://www.youtube.com/RepLynnWoolsey#p/a/u/0/jH5QWjPeeaU