Today Congress begins a two week recess, as the debt limit “deadline” looms on August 2.

Last week, several key developments occurred that we want to make sure you know about:

• On Wednesday afternoon, a coalition of 49 groups launched the Cut, Cap, Balance Pledge with an initial group of 11 U.S. Senators, 15 Congressmen and 20 candidates for federal office, including three presidential candidates signed onto the effort.

IWV was invited to speak at the announcement, and President & CEO Heather Higgins laid out the stark reality we face.  As you know, American families have cut back at home and are doing more with less.  If families can do that, Washington should do the same.  This may be the first generation to do worse than their parents — and a failure to solve our runaway debt problem will guarantee this comes true.

There is a systemic problem in Washington that has yet to be solved, despite multiple efforts.  Politicians lack the intestinal fortitude to act responsibly, stop spending money they don't have and solve this problem they have created.  The Cut, Cap, Balance Pledge is the guardrail they need to not only begin to solve our spending and debt problem now, but structurally change how Washington works.

• On Thursday the coalition released national polling data from last week that demonstrates that the Cut, Cap, Balance plan’s three parts have majority support from Democrats, independents and Republicans, and that the American public opposes raising the debt ceiling 60-31%.

• On Thursday afternoon, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) announced he was pulling out of the private debt limit negotiations convened by Vice President Joe Biden. Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) also immediately pulled out. This is a positive development, as the best deal that the negotiations were likely to produce would not have won majority public support.

• Leader Cantor announced that a Balanced Budget Amendment WILL RECEIVE a vote in the House the week of July 24. This is big news. The only version reported out of the Judiciary Committee is the strong BBA cosponsored by Reps. Joe Walsh (R-IL) and Bob Goodlatte (R-VA).

• The so called “Gang of 6,” or “Gang of 5” bipartisan talks weresuddenly ended. These efforts intended to increase taxes and include sharp cuts in spending, a so-called “grand compromise.”

Taken together, these developments represent a major opportunity.

If you believe that our great country is headed off a financial cliff, given the institutional pressures in Washington to spend ever more funds, then this is the moment you need to make yourself heard!

We need you to do two things immediately:

1) Sign the pledge and then share it on Facebook and Twitter. You can sign it at CutCapBalancePledge.com.

2) Call your Congressmen and Senators TODAY and ask them to sign. If they are flooded with calls, they will respond. As Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) says, “If they feel the heat, they will see the light.” You can reach any member of Congress by calling the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. To find your Congressmen, go here and enter your zip code at the top right of the screen.

Let’s burn up the phone lines!

Thank you for your help in supporting the Cut, Cap, Balance Pledge to put America back on a path to fiscal sanity.