“It Doesn’t Hold Him Down, But It Annoys Hell Out of Him”
On June 15, 1962, after two days of debate, Congress approved President Kennedy’s request to increase the American debt ceiling by $8 billion to $308 billion. Congress began to enact limits on debt in 1917, when the United States needed to finance World War I. In 1962, when Republicans balked at voting for the increase and told the Kennedy administration to prune its budget, the Democrats threatened to take half of the reduction from the Department of Defense, compelling a Republican compromise. Here, Herblock portrays a congressman bemused by the attempt to put a lid on the growing debt.
On June 15, 1962, after two days of debate, Congress approved President Kennedy’s request to increase the American debt ceiling by $8 billion to $308 billion. Congress began to enact limits on debt in 1917, when the United States needed to finance World War I. In 1962, when Republicans balked at voting for the increase and told the Kennedy administration to prune its budget, the Democrats threatened to take half of the reduction from the Department of Defense, compelling a Republican compromise. Here, Herblock portrays a congressman bemused by the attempt to put a lid on the growing debt.