Spartz threatens to resign if Congress doesn’t study ways to reduce national debt

U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Noblesville) is threatening to resign if Congress doesn’t create a commission this year to study ways to reduce the national debt.

Spartz vented her frustrations in a statement Monday, calling Congress a “circus with a complete absence of leadership, vision, and spine.”

Andrew Downs, Mike Downs Center For Indiana Politics director emeritus, said Spartz’s concerns about the debt are not new. The surprise, he said, is the threat.

“And the threat, I think, comes across for many as an escalation or an elevation of frustration she clearly has been feeling,” Downs said. “She already announced she’s not going to run for reelection — she expressed the lack of movement and productivity in the chamber at that time.”

READ MORE: Rep. Victoria Spartz announces she won’t run for ‘any office’ in 2024

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Spartz cited struggles with being away from her high school-aged children when she announced she wouldn’t run for reelection. And she referenced her kids again in the threat to resign.

Downs said those struggles are legitimate — and it’s fair to ask whether Spartz is just looking for a way to step down early.

“If she’s really that frustrated, theoretically she should just say, ‘I’m out,’” Downs said.

If Spartz resigns, the governor would have to call a special election to fill her seat. And with a slim GOP majority in the House, losing a Republican member for even a little bit of time makes Spartz’s threat more potent.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.