WASHINGTON – With just one week left before the June 5, deadline, congressional leaders are racing to get the votes they need to pass the bipartisan agreement that President Joe Biden and House speaker Kevin McCarthy reached to avoid a disastrous default on the debt.
Both leaders of the two parties mobilized on Monday in response to skepticism and criticism from within their own ranks.
House Republicans leaders called reporters on Monday to discuss the agreement.
The chair of the GOP conference, Elise Stefanik (R-NY), said: “This is an historic Republican victory.” “It’ll cut spending every year.”
Hard-liners from both Republican chambers have criticized the agreement, setting up a heated showdown on Tuesday at the House Rules Committee. The committee is expected to examine the bill ahead of a vote by the House as a whole scheduled for Wednesday.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) called the deal ‘insanity’ and said that the bill had “virtually” no cuts. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) sent out a torrent tweets blasting and calling the deal a “turd sandwich.” Norman and Roy both serve on the Rules Committee. Rand Paul, R-Ky. Senator, called the deal “fake cuts in spending.”
“Conservatives are sold out again!” He Tweeted.
These right-wing Republicans may still be in the minority on Capitol Hill. Some Republicans are confident that the bill will pass.
Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., chair of the center-right Main Street Caucus told reporters: “Oh this thing will definitely pass.” Dusty Johnson (R-S.D. ), the chair of Main Street Caucus’ center-right, told reporters. “There is no doubt about it. I’ve spoken to dozens members — but not everyone is on board. When was the last instance that all members of Congress were in agreement on something?
GOP congresswoman: “We’re going there”
Two GOP sources claim that McCarthy’s allies have praised new Congressional Budget Office estimations provided to certain members of the Republican leadership, but which were not made public. According to the estimates, the Biden-McCarthy bill for debt ceiling would reduce spending by $2.1 trillion if targets were met over a period of six years. However, only two years in the bill are legally binding.
The bill would extend the limit on debt for two years, and it would be paired with a budget agreement for two years that would reduce nondefense expenditures modestly and increase military spending to $886 Billion — the amount Biden asked for for next year.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), , , , the bill , blasted on Twitter as a “catastrophe” for defense, saying Biden’s Defense Department expenditure figure was inadequate, and threatening that the bill would be held up in the chamber. The Senate has five days to pass the bill by Monday if the House passes it on Wednesday.
Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Oklahoma) said that the bill would pass with both parties’ support.
Bice stated, “We will get there.” This legislation will have bipartisan support. The president supports it. I think we’re really in a good spot. We asked for spending cuts, no new taxes and a clean debt ceiling. “And that’s what we got.”
The House progressives were quiet for the majority of Monday, as they held a call in the afternoon to discuss the legislation and how forward.
Some people privately expressed their disappointment at provisions such as the expansion of work requirements for federal benefits, like Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program or Temporary Aid for Needy Families. The bill also expedites the Mountain Valley Pipeline – a natural gas pipe currently under construction between northwestern West Virginia and southern Virginia – and overhauls permitting for energy and infrastructure project.
Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has said that rules governing work are “bad policies” and won’t reduce unemployment.
She said on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday , “We’ve seen reams of statistics that show these work requirements are really administrative red tape which prevents the people who need assistance from getting help.”
Democrats reject ‘extreme demands’ from the GOP
House Democratic Leaders sent a memo to encourage lawmakers to present the bill as a victory for “extreme MAGA Republicans”, and to argue that it is a rejection of “Republicans’ extreme demands to cut vital lifelines for every American.”
Sources in the House Democrats caucus say that there is some internal disagreement about the best way to proceed. Some House Democrats are also upset about being largely excluded from negotiations, and they don’t believe that it is their primary responsibility to get the bill passed. They’re also heavily invested into the political success of Biden and protecting the U.S. Economy, which they believe will be sufficient to pass.
Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), chair of the New Democrat Coalition’s center-left, praised this deal. She said, “We expect to be involved in the White House as part of our Democratic leadership team, in urging the vote.”
Kuster stated that she was “pleased” that the debt limit would be raised, and that this fight will not occur again until 2025. She added that the bill will protect Social Security and Medicare, Medicaid and the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy provisions, as well as the CHIPS Act and Science Act.
Kuster stated that “there will be some hard pills to swallow,” citing Mountain Valley Pipeline, as a “significant” concern expressed by some New Democrat Coalition Members. Overall, Kuster said, White House negotiators did an “outstanding job.”
Kuster stated, “I don’t see this as a major change in the funding of government or its impact on a majority of Americans.” For some people, this will have a significant impact on their lives. “Most Americans will not notice.”
Roy, a Freedom Caucus Member who sits on the Rules Committee has argued that Democrats will get more from the deal than Republicans. He tweet Monday McCarthy, R. California, had promised that “nothing will pass Rules Committee without at LEAST 7 GOP Votes.”
The other Republicans were unaware of this.
Bice told reporters on Monday that he did not understand the situation.
Johnson said, “I am a rules person.” The first thing I do when someone tells me that something must happen in a particular way is to get the rules. When I checked there was no rule saying that Rules must be unanimous.”
