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Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th) joined 27 House Republicans Thursday in calling on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.) to give Congress an up-or-down vote on congressional action that would raise the nation's debt ceiling.

In a response to press reports that congressional leaders are planning on attaching legislation to increase the national debt ceiling to must-pass legislation like the Defense spending bill to avoid a clean vote on the issue, Lance spearheaded a letter to Pelosi opposing such efforts. The 27 House Republicans signed the letter calling for a separate vote to increase the nation's indebtedness.

"The recent news that our nation's debt has for the first time topped the $12 trillion mark should be of grave concern to every American," Lance said at a Capitol Hill news conference. "Congress can no longer stand idly by and allow an increase in our debt limit without a vigorous debate on debt, deficits and spending. I stand here today with my colleagues to call on Speaker Pelosi to allow on the floor of the House of Representatives such a debate and a clean up-or-down vote on raising the debt ceiling."

Lance, a member of the House Financial Services Committee and a voice in Congress on reducing the national debt, said he would not support an increase in the debt ceiling without corresponding action to address the country's long term fiscal imbalances.

"I support bipartisan, bicameral efforts to pass legislation creating a special process to deal with the long-term budget problems facing the U.S. government," Lance said. "As such I will vote against a needed increase in the limit the federal government can borrow unless Congress creates a commission to come up with proposals to bring the deficit and debt under control."

U.S. Treasury officials confirmed Tuesday that the U.S. Public debt topped $12 trillion for the first time in history as government spending is outpacing revenue. The current statutory debt limit is 12.104 trillion dollars, and government officials have warned that Congress will have to increase the debt limit by mid-December.

— TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM