GOP leaders angry at McCarthy’s ‘debt ceiling surrender’

Republicans Upset Over Debt Ceiling Deal with Biden

A handful of Republicans in Congress are upset over House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) debt ceiling deal with President Joe Biden, grumbling about the limited extent of spending clawbacks, and reductions in military expenditure growth.

Negotiations in the debt ceiling standoff finally saw a breakthrough Saturday, with both sides coming to an agreement for which the details have yet to be fully released.

Biden and McCarthy’s Tentative Deal Raises Debt Ceiling Until 2025

McCarthy always had a delicate dance to play with debt limit deliberations, given his wafer-thin majority in the upper chamber, but leadership appears bullish about the agreement’s chances of clearing the House.

“This ‘deal’ is insanity. A $4T debt ceiling increase with virtually no cuts is not what we agreed to. Not gonna vote to bankrupt our country. The American people deserve better,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) tweeted bluntly.

“I am hearing the ‘deal’ is for a $4 trillion increase in the debt limit. If that is true, I don’t need to hear anything else. No one claiming to be a conservative could justify a YES vote,” Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) chimed in.

One of the few early reactions from the Senate side came from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who has a reputation for fostering bipartisan deal-making in the upper chamber. Graham worried that the compromise would scale back military spending growth and likened it to the 2011 sequestration tactic.

Back in 2011, members of Congress created a “fiscal cliff” featuring a hodgepodge of deep spending cuts, particularly to the military, that were deeply unpopular in Congress in order to pressure lawmakers to reach a deal. They did not, and many of those cuts went into effect, ushering in intense criticism from proponents of a strong military.

“More questions than answers about the proposed debt limit deal,” Graham tweeted. “For defense, this deal seems to echo the 2011 sequestration disaster. Defense spending below inflation in the real world is cut at a time when national security threats are increasing. I hope I’m wrong.”

Military spending was reportedly a significant sticking point in deliberations. Specifics of the agreement are not yet available as staffers scramble to draft the legislation’s text.

“Democrats seem happy with Biden’s deal with McCarthy on the debt ceiling,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) tweeted.

As expected, none of the four Republicans who voted against the Limit, Save, Grow Act, the Republican’s initial offer in the debt ceiling row that passed back in January, appear to have moved in favor of the tentative compromise agreement.

“I listened to Speaker McCarthy earlier tonight outline the deal with President Biden and I am appalled by the debt ceiling surrender. The bottom line is that the U.S. will have $35 trillion of debt in January 2025. That is completely unacceptable,” Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) tweeted.

“Our national debt is a top national security threat. I have never voted to raise the debt ceiling in my time in Congress — even while President Trump was in the Oval Office — and will continue not to for the same reasons. We owe the American people responsible fiscal policy,” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) wrote on Twitter.

The other two dissenters — Reps. Tim Burchett (R-TN) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL) — have yet to comment on the deal.

Not everyone was upset over the agreement. During a call with members, McCarthy reportedly emphasized that there was not a “single thing in this bill” for Democrats. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), former chairman of the Freedom Caucus, reportedly praised the outlines of the deal as “pretty darn good” during the call.

“Speaker McCarthy championed responsible policy, incorporating key economic and permitting reforms while limiting spending, and rescinding COVID funds. The Speaker keeps making government work better for every American,” Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) tweeted.

McCarthy plans to make good on his commitment to giving members 72 hours to comb through the text of the legislation. Republican leadership is reportedly expecting as many as 40 members of their conference to balk when it comes up for a vote.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently bumped the “X-date” for when the government runs out of cash to foot all its bills to June 5. The agreement is expected to lift the debt limit for about two years in exchange for rescinding unspent COVID-19 funds, substantially curbing spending growth, more stringent work requirements for social programs, and more.

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