Republican Leader Calls for Urgent Vote on ‘Strong’ Debt Limit Bill in April

A senior Republican lawmaker from the House of Representatives suggested on Wednesday that passing a bill to strongly limit debt should be the party’s top priority. He called for a vote on the measure in April, asking his fellow lawmakers to realize that “the time for action is now.”

Representative Kevin Hern is the chair of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), and he set the end-of-month deadline for a vote in a letter addressed to his GOP colleagues. He believes that the chamber must focus on passing a bill to help show the American people that they can be trusted, and to force the Senate and White House to answer for their lack of responsibility.

Hern’s appeal to the RSC’s 176 members comes amid a debt ceiling deadlock between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and President Joe Biden as the United States approaches a possible debt default.

Hern did not specify what the RSC wants to include in the debt limiting measure, but the group released a “Debt Limit Playbook” in March that explains their priorities, which are focused on discretionary spending cuts.

After the Easter recess, House lawmakers have a small window of time to meet Hern’s request for a vote by the end of April.

Debt Ceiling Standoff

Both the Democratic and Republican parties have warned of the disastrous economic consequences if the country’s debt obligation is not met. However, the Republicans have demanded that the Democrats commit to spending cuts in exchange for agreeing to lift the $31.4 trillion borrowing cap, while Biden has insisted on a clean bill to raise the debt limit.

The United States reached the $31.4 trillion borrowing limit earlier this year, forcing the Treasury Department to use a series of “extraordinary measures” to keep U.S. debt obligations and avoid national debt default. A default could wreak havoc on the global economy.

The Treasury’s extraordinary measures will run out sometime between July and September this year unless Congress raises the debt cap.

Biden has said that he is prepared to consider Republican proposals for spending cuts as part of a budget plan, but these should be separate from “prompt action on the Congress’ basic obligation to pay the nation’s bills and avoid economic catastrophe.”

Spending Cuts

Biden has signed off on trillions of dollars in spending, including the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, since taking office. Many Republicans blame this spending for sending inflation to multi-decade highs.

McCarthy said in his own letter to Biden that the president’s refusal to negotiate spending cuts while getting GOP backing on raising the debt ceiling “could prevent America from meeting its obligations and hold dire ramifications for the entire nation.”

Republicans are calling for spending cuts to be a part of any agreement on raising the debt limit.