House Democrats are warning that there will be a big problem if Republicans try to put social safety net program work requirements into the debt limit bill.
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CNN’s Manu Raju, “And some of the conservative hardliners are telling me this morning they do not believe that the June 1st deadline that a default could pass because they believe that the Treasury secretary is making up a date.” pic.twitter.com/Pd9MHE6e84
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) May 23, 2023
Rep. Primala Jayapal (D-WA) said, “There is a huge backlash from the entire Democratic caucus and certainly the Progressives, but also in the streets. I think it is important that we don’t take steps back from the very strong agenda that the president, himself, he shepherded and led over the last two years.”
Rep. Alexndria Ocasio-Cortez (D- NY) said, “It is a problem. We do not legislate through the debt ceiling for that reason.”
In a word, the response from House Democrats to the Republican demand that social safety net programs like Medicaid for example have to come with work requirements is a big no.
Work requirements will cut down the number of people who can participate in vital programs, and are a back door way to weaken and gut assistance for those who need it the most.
Democrats aren’t going to be ransomed into sacrificing the poorest Americans so that House Republicans can cut taxes for the wealthy and corporations.
The debt limit talks are getting nowhere because House Republicans refuse to come down from their unreasonable demands.
Threats are not negotiating. Inflexibility is not negotiating, and if a default happens, House Republicans will own it.
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
