During an interview with Meet The Press, House Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries dismissed the idea of giving Kevin McCarthy a stopgap on the debt ceiling.
Video by Jeffries:
Chuck Todd asked Jeffries about the idea of raising the debt limit in the short term to match the budget deadline.
Jeffries replied: “I don’t think it’s responsible to kick the can out when President Biden has been saying for months that Leader Schumer’s position is that House Democrats’ position is to avoid a default. America should pay its bills and protect the full confidence and credit of the United States of America, but of course we’re open to a discussion about what kind of investments, what kind of spending, what kind of income are appropriate to health, safety and to protect the economic well-being of the American people. This is a process that is now available to us. I don’t think we need to delay these discussions for a few months.”
Todd responded by asking if that was the way out.
Leader Jeffries said, “We’ve got to avoid a fallout, period, period. I think what lies ahead now is that President Biden called a very important discussion Tuesday so that we can find a way to do what is necessary to continue to strengthen our economy in a way that benefits Americans every day comes.”
In other words, that would be a big no to the idea of taking the pressure off Speaker McCarthy by giving him a few more months to stand around and do nothing.
The media seems to forget that House Republicans voted for this fight. Speaker McCarthy and the far-right member of his group wanted to push the nation toward default, and McCarthy could have made that a non-issue by passing a clean debt ceiling hike.
He and the MAGAs believe Biden and the Democrats will give them the cuts they want.
Democrats are employing a tactic that has worked in every debt-limit standoff. Democrats remain united and will not give in to the GOP’s fabricated crisis.
If Republicans cause a default, they will be held responsible.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House press pool and congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His thesis focused on public policy with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and professional memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association