U.S. Representative Daniel Webster (R-Winter Garden) issued the following statement on his introduction of the Prioritize Spending Act of 2011, H.R. 2402, to ensure America’s priorities are preserved in the event that the debt ceiling is reached:

"Serious and substantive spending reforms are indispensable to any discussion of raising the debt limit. I remain hopeful that a cooperative effort to implement such spending reforms without raising taxes will be successful.

“Courageous actions are necessary to transform the spending habits of Washington. We must cut spending without raising taxes.

“Inaction, by the Senate not passing a budget, has brought us to this critical situation. But waiting is not an option. A reasonable and responsible solution is needed as an immediate answer to the debt ceiling problem.

“It is important that while we fight for true spending transformations, we also prepare to prevent any default by protecting our priorities. Should we reach the debt limit after ideas to tackle Washington’s spending habit have been ignored, we must immediately prioritize spending by paying our debts, funding our military and caring for our seniors,” said Congressman Webster.

H.R. 2402, the Prioritize Spending Act, will:

• Prevent default by paying our debt
• Provide the pay and allowances of those who defend our freedoms
• Provide the Social Security and Medicare benefits

Text of the bill can be found here and answers to frequently asked questions can be found here.