WASHINGTON ― Home Democratic chief Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Thursday mentioned “arduous go” on President-elect Donald Trump’s suggestion that Congress do away with the debt ceiling as a part of a authorities funding invoice.
“GOP extremists need Home Democrats to boost the debt ceiling in order that Home Republicans can decrease the quantity of your Social Safety verify,” Jeffries wrote on social media. “Exhausting go.”
The assertion from Jeffries suggests Democrats are in no temper to assist Home Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) out of the mess he created by apparently abandoning a authorities funding invoice he finalized with Democrats this week. Absent a deal, the federal government will partially shut down at midnight on Friday.
At a press convention, Jeffries mentioned Congress can keep away from a shutdown if Republicans “stick to the bipartisan settlement that they themselves negotiated.”
Jeffries declined to rule out finally supporting a slimmed-down model of the settlement, nevertheless. He mentioned the debt ceiling demand was “untimely at finest.”
The “persevering with decision” settlement Johnson unveiled Tuesday would have saved the federal authorities open till March, supplied billions in catastrophe help and help to farmers, given lawmakers their first increase in years, and transferred a chunk of federal land to the D.C. authorities for the potential growth of a brand new soccer stadium.
Billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy launched a marketing campaign in opposition to the laws on Wednesday, encouraging Republicans to reject the deal, and by the tip of the day Musk, who’s in shut contact with Republicans, together with Johnson, declared it was useless.
Trump then introduced he needed Congress to go the persevering with decision with simply the farm and catastrophe help, and he added a brand new time period: the elimination of the federal authorities’s borrowing restrict, a authorized requirement that Congress authorize the federal authorities to borrow cash that lawmakers already ordered it to borrow in prior laws.
Trump’s debt ceiling demand was stunning ― no one on Capitol Hill had been speaking about it for the reason that subsequent debt ceiling deadline gained’t be till early subsequent yr. And it’s one thing Republicans have lengthy used as leverage to extract concessions from Democrats, equivalent to spending cuts to authorities applications. Democrats have all the time hated the debt ceiling and lots of have mentioned it needs to be eradicated altogether, similar to Trump steered.
“The Democrats have mentioned they need to do away with it. In the event that they need to do away with it, I might lead the cost,” Trump mentioned in a Thursday interview with NBC’s Garrett Haake.
To some progressive Democrats who’ve lengthy pushed for eliminating the debt ceiling, that seemed like welcome information.
“I agree with President-elect Trump that Congress ought to terminate the debt restrict and by no means once more govern by hostage taking,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) mentioned.
“It is a long-term objective, important to derisking the U.S. financial system, and, sarcastically, defending us from the hazards of reckless Republican hostage taking,” added Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.).
Nevertheless, it’s unclear whether or not eliminating the debt ceiling for good is definitely on the desk. Home Republicans are reportedly drafting laws that may fund the federal government and lift the debt ceiling for 2 years, making Trump’s life simpler throughout his second time period by serving to go his agenda of tax cuts.
It’s additionally unclear whether or not the invoice contains any spending cuts — as conservative lawmakers have demanded in prior years in trade for lifting the debt restrict. Johnson will want their help if he desires to go something in any respect.
“The Republicans lie extra usually than they unintentionally inform the reality, and so I don’t have at this level a lot readability that they’re critical about something,” Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, instructed HuffPost. “I wouldn’t take them at their phrase on something, and I need to perceive if they are saying immediately they’re for eliminating that restrict, why they wouldn’t simply put it proper again in place the following day.”
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Different Home Democrats appeared to agree with Jeffries, saying they could favor eliminating the debt ceiling, however not as a part of this funding deal.
“The place was this demand to boost the debt ceiling throughout all of the negotiations till yesterday?” Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) instructed HuffPost. “I agree with eliminating it altogether, however the timing proper now could be essential.”
