Dems claim GOP creates debt ceiling ‘crisis.’

As the debt ceiling debate rages on, Democrats have taken the offensive, bringing their message directly to the people through a series of press events on May 24.

“This is a manufactured crisis, plain and simple,”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declared in an afternoon briefing.

“And don’t take our word for it; just listen to members of the House Freedom Caucus. They’ve been very honest about this and are now openly—they’re saying the quiet thing out loud, referring to the full faith and credit of the United States as a hostage,” Jean-Pierre said.

She displayed a quote from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) saying that conservative Republicans don’t wish to negotiate with their “hostage.”

Democrats are pushing back against Republican demands for deep spending cuts, which they say would hurt education, law enforcement, and food assistance programs, among others.

“And let’s be clear about what Republicans are demanding in exchange for doing their job and preventing a default. Earlier this year, they put forward an extreme package of devastating cuts that would slash support for education, law enforcement, food assistance—the list goes on and on and on and on—by what now would be about 30 percent,” Jean-Pierre said.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has defended the spending reductions and caps included in the Limit, Save, Grow Act, calling them “reasonable” and accusing Democrats of being “addicted to spending.”

McCarthy chided Democrats during a May 24 press conference for their unwillingness to spend even “$1 less than … the year before.”

Democratic Chorus

Democrats have been united in their opposition to Republican demands, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) calling the crisis “manufactured” and accusing Republicans of using strong-arm tactics to impose deep spending cuts.

“Why are House Republicans being so unreasonable and so extreme? Unfortunately, we can only really draw one conclusion as we are on the brink of default,” Jeffries said during a May 24 press conference.

The House Progressive Caucus, which includes more than 100 Democrat representatives, has also criticized Republicans for bringing the country close to a potential financial catastrophe.

“Today, the United States is closer to default than we have ever been in our history for one reason: extreme Republican recklessness,” caucus leader Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said.

“It is clear that Republicans have no interest in cutting the deficit,” Jayapal said. “Their focus is on cutting taxes for their wealthiest benefactors: big corporations and billionaires who finance their campaigns. And they want you—working people across the country—to foot the bill.”

Democrats have proposed repealing tax subsidies for the oil industry, closing some tax loopholes, and creating a minimum tax rate for billionaires and global corporations, but Republicans have rejected these proposals.