Republican and Democratic Senate leaders on Tuesday praised the bipartisan debt ceiling deal struck by President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, despite hardliners in both parties criticizing the agreement for having too many compromises.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell both endorsed the bipartisan deal minutes after the chamber reconvened from a more than week-long Memorial Day recess. They emphasized that neither side was left completely satisfied.
“Nobody is getting everything they want. There’s give on both sides,” Mr. Schumer, New York Democrat, said in remarks on the Senate floor. “But this agreement is the responsible, prudent and very necessary way forward.”
Mr. McConnell, Kentucky Republican, followed suit.
“The American people got a whole lot more progress towards fiscal sanity than Washington Democrats wanted to give them,” he said. “Speaker McCarthy and House Republicans deserve our thanks.”
The endorsements come as the White House and party leaders in the House race to secure support and pass the deal this week with enough time for the Senate to get it to Mr. Biden’s desk before the expected June 5 default deadline.
The legislation suspends the debt ceiling until January 2025 and includes annual spending caps for the next six years, but lacks enforcement mechanisms after the first two years.
But Mr. McCarthy’s right flank is rebelling, saying that it fails to aggressively slash federal spending and marks a retreat from House GOP’s demands for steep cuts. North Carolina Rep. Dan Bishop, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, became the first House Republican on Tuesday to come out publicly in support of forcing Mr. McCarthy from his speakership over the agreement.
Mr. Bishop accused Mr. McCarthy of “lying” about the bill’s spending provisions and said he has “none — zero” confidence in him as speaker.
Other Freedom Caucus members continued to lambast the debt-limit deal but stopped short of calling for Mr. McCarthy’s ouster from leadership. One of the most moderate House Republicans, South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, said she will also vote against the legislation.
Democrats in the Progressive Caucus are also struggling to come to terms with the deal. It has several measures they vehemently reject, including expanded work requirements for food stamps recipients, environmental changes to fast-track new energy projects and the approval of West Virginia’s controversial natural gas Mountain Valley Pipeline.
The bill is expected to be passed in the House Wednesday before going to the Senate, where it will likely take several days to pass unless all 100 senators agree to a swift vote.
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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