Speaker Kevin McCarthy is facing a difficult path toward uniting the House Republican Conference behind a proposal to raise the federal debt ceiling in exchange for slashing spending.
Given the narrow GOP House majority, Mr. McCarthy can lose only four votes on any legislation before having to rely on Democratic votes for passage. Democrats say their support is impossible if Republicans continue to demand cuts to federal spending.
“A quarter of our national debt was accrued under [former President Donald] Trump, and McCarthy had a key role,” Rep. Don Beyer, Virginia Democrat, said. “He helped Trump raise the debt limit three times with no demands. He can raise the debt limit any time.”
With Democrats opposed to any spending cuts, Mr. McCarthy will need every GOP vote to pass the debt ceiling proposal. That may be a tall task because of internal GOP divisions.
At least two hard-line Republicans, Reps. Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee and Eric Burlison of Missouri, say they oppose raising the debt ceiling. They want Congress to curtail spending commitments.
“Our national debt is rapidly approaching $32 trillion, and yet Democrats and President Biden want Congress to continue kicking the can down the road instead of addressing the root problem,” Mr. Burlison said. “Washington has a spending addiction, and it needs to end today.”
Other members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus are on the fence or want to secure bigger spending cuts within the debt limit proposal. Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy, for instance, wants the bill to repeal President Biden’s $739 billion climate change law.
Conservative hard-liners are not the only problem for Mr. McCarthy. The speaker also must convince moderate and centrist Republicans to go along with the proposal.
Leading moderate Republicans, especially those representing seats that Mr. Biden won in 2020, have remained quiet as the proposal has been crafted. One centrist Republican lawmaker told The Washington Times that they’re wary of “being too committed to a bill that was only the first offer in a long negotiation process.”
The lawmaker added, “House Republicans have a lot of leverage in the debt limit talks, but whatever passes now is a wish list. The real work will then start on crafting a bill that can pass the Democrat-controlled Senate and be signed by the president.”
Mr. McCarthy has at least one prominent House moderate on board with his plan. Rep. Mike Lawler, New York Republican, told reporters he’s backing the proposal after securing a commitment that work requirements imposed on entitlement programs wouldn’t affect recipients with children.
“The objective here is to help people who can work get working again and not be in a state of permanent dependency,” Mr. Lawler said.
Apart from imposing work requirements for programs like Medicaid and food stamps, the GOP proposal would raise the debt limit until May 2024. The proposal would also cap nondefense spending and limit future budget growth to 1% annually over the next decade.
Republicans have further included provisions rescinding Mr. Biden’s student loan forgiveness program, new green energy tax credits and $90.5 billion in unspent COVID-19 relief.
Beyond cutting spending and restructuring the social safety net, GOP lawmakers want to overhaul the nation’s energy-permitting laws and pass legislation requiring congressional approval for new regulations with an economic impact of more than $100 million per year.
“I have full confidence that if we limit our federal spending, if we save taxpayer money, if we grow our economy, we will end the dependence on China,” Mr. McCarthy said. “We will curb inflation and we will protect Social Security and Medicare for the next generation.”
House Republicans want to pass the debt limit proposal by next week before Congress leaves Washington for a weeklong recess. To meet the timeline, GOP leaders plan for the legislation to bypass the normal committee process.
The deviation breaks a promise that House Republicans made on the campaign trail to restore regular order and open deliberation in the legislative process.
• Haris Alic can be reached at halic@washingtontimes.com.
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