The White House and President Biden are hanging Kevin McCarthy’s debt limit bill around the necks of every House Republican.
Here is the latest White House move:
I hear House Republicans out on TV saying they would never vote to cut veterans’ benefits.
In case there’s any confusion, I made a little chart that could help them out. pic.twitter.com/SVvamK3KC2
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 2, 2023
Republicans in Congress say that they are still supporting Speaker McCarthy right now:
Despite the new warning that a US debt default could occur on June 1, there is no movement in the Senate
Senate Republicans said there should be no deal without McCarthy’s blessing and Dems insisted there should be no spending cuts tied to debt ceiling — a chief McCarthy demand.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 1, 2023
For right now, Republicans are sticking with McCarthy, but if history is any guide, that support will evaporate quickly if there is no deal and the nation gets close to the default date of June 1.
The White House and Democrats in Congress do not want to set the precedent for hostage-taking being effective. Democrats and Republicans will meet next week, but it is expected that the message will continue to be something along the lines of Republicans will get nothing until a clean debt limit increase is passed.
In the meantime, McCarthy’s bill is quickly being turned into a disaster for House Republicans. It was a big mistake for Republicans to demand spending cuts to things like veterans’ benefits, but it is important to remember that Kevin McCarthy is not in charge of the House majority. He is a speaker in title only. The caucus is being run by the likes of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
The far-right extremists want to tank the economy, but the problem is that dozes of moderate Republicans in Biden-carried districts stand to lose their seats as collateral damage to Kevin McCarthy’s sham debt limit bill.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
