Members of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus and other GOP lawmakers are pressuring Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to stand firm in debt ceiling negotiations with President Biden — and cut even more spending while he’s at it.
The 35 Republican lawmakers have asked McCarthy to include provisions from their recent border security bill and put an end to plans for constructing a new FBI headquarters, even as they pressure him to not give an inch on priorities passed in the GOP’s debt bill last month.
“First, President Biden delayed engagement with Congress for months on the debt ceiling and, now that he is engaging, press reports indicate he is pushing to water down the provisions of the House-passed Limit, Save, Grow Act while simultaneously demanding a debt ceiling increase of $4 trillion or more (well beyond the $1.5 trillion provided in the House bill),” they wrote.
“In response to the President’s preposterous position, we encourage you to add additional provisions to the Limit, Save, Grow Act such as the inclusion of the recently passed Secure the Border Act and the end to funding for the FBI’s massive (larger than the Pentagon) new headquarters.”
The lawmakers also are pressing the House GOP leader to pass a one-month extension to the debt limit, giving McCarthy more time to hammer out a favorable agreement with the White House.
House Republicans’ Limit, Save, Grow Act would raise the nation’s borrowing limit by $1.5 trillion or until March 31, 2024, whichever point is reached first.
The bill cuts non-defense discretionary spending by $130 billion — back to fiscal year 2022 levels — and limits the annual growth of the federal budget to 1%.
And it claws back around $100 billion in unspent COVID relief funds.
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Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has pressured Congress and the White House to work out a deal by June 1 — the earliest point at which she has said the nation risks a default.
But the Republicans scoffed at the statement in their letter to McCarthy.
“The credibility of her projection suffers not only from its manipulative timing, but also Yellen’s spectacular prior failures to recognize our severe and lasting inflation,” they said.
The House Freedom Caucus prolonged McCarthy’s ascension to the speaker’s office earlier this year, holding out for 15 ballots over five days before relenting in a dramatic late-night session.
Republicans have a narrow 222-213 majority in the lower chamber — a leverage point that caucus members appeared to hint at in their letter.
“The power of an undivided Republican Party guided by conservative principles cannot be overstated,” they said.
“As you navigate the debt limit debate, you are the steward of this unity and will determine whether it continues to strengthen and places a historic stamp on this Congress or evaporates.”
