Lewis votes against debt ceiling bill

U.S. Rep. John Lewis, whose 5th Congressional District includes Buckhead, voted against the debt ceiling agreement on Monday.

The civil rights movement veteran, a Democrat, joined six Republican members of Georgia's House delegation in opposing the bill. Democrat Hank Johnson of the adjoining 4th Congressional District supported the bill, which passed the House 269-161 on Monday.

The Senate on Tuesday approved the bill on a 74-26 vote, averting the U.S. government defaulting on its debt. Republican Johnny Isakson, calling the measure a historic step toward controlling government spending, supported the legislation, while Republican Saxby Chambliss opposed it. 

Lewis issued the following statement, according to his website: “My vote is not a rejection of the efforts of the president to find a solution to a monumental problem. This nation could not default on its debt.That would devastate our credibility and create negative economic implications for our international partners worldwide.  Though I cannot support this bill, I applaud President Obama’s tireless attempts to find middle ground. 

“But I am reminded today of the words of Mohandas Gandhi who said, 'All compromise is based on give and take, but there can be no give and take on fundamentals. All compromise on fundamentals is surrender. It is all give and no take.' The Democrats gave and gave and gave, but we received nothing in return.This is not a fair deal. It is not a good deal. It is not a balanced compromise."