Wilson-Foley challenges Connecticut Democrats over debt

Republican businesswoman Lisa Wilson-Foley made a move Thursday in her campaign for Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District.

She said she will ask voters to sign an open letter addressed to Democrats U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy and Independent U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman asking them to adopt a “Balanced Budget Amendment” before voting to raise the debt ceiling. A Balanced Budget Amendment would amend the Constitution and require the federal government to spend no more than it makes.

The deadline for Congress to vote on raising the debt ceiling is August 2. If Congress supports a raise, it will mark the 75th time in history the debt ceiling has risen.

“In my travels around the District and in talking with voters, I cannot find a single person who believes we should be raising the debt ceiling without making significant cuts to the federal budget,” Wilson-Foley said in an e-mailed statement. “Yet our Democratic representatives in the House and Senate remain immune to the fact that Connecticut voters want Congress to make those cuts and to adopt reforms that will lead our government down the path of a balanced budget.”