GOP Rep. Nancy Mace grew a growing list of Republicans who are bummed about the debt limit deal Speaker Kevin McCarthy struck with President Biden.
The debt limit deal includes $136 billion in spending cuts and suspends the debt ceiling by $4 trillion until January 1, 2025 – after the 2024 election.
Some of the opposing Republicans, who passed a bill last month — the Limit, Save, Grow Act — that would only raise the cap by $1.5 trillion, say the additional $4 trillion extension goes beyond what is necessary and allows the Biden administration to overspend for the next two years.
Republicans have been outsmarted by a president who can’t find his pants. I am voting NO to the debt ceiling debacle because playing the DC game is not worth selling out our children and grandchildren,” Mace said in announcing her opposition to the deal Tuesday.
GOP Rep. Nancy Mace grew a growing list of Republicans bummed at the cost of the debt limit deal Speaker Kevin McCarthy cut with President Biden
This ‘deal’ normalizes the record high spending that started during the pandemic. It puts these historically high spending levels as the starting point for all future spending.
“After accounting for a small cut in discretionary spending over the next 2 years, we’re still talking about $6 trillion in spending due to large increases in spending elsewhere. In other words, it’s a wash in terms of expenses.’
The deal also leaves non-defense discretionary spending unchanged in 2024 and allows for a one percent increase in 2025 — which essentially amounts to spending cuts because inflation is not taken into account.
She joins a list of at least 18 final Republican no votes on the bill.
“After I heard about the debt ceiling deal, I was a NO. After reading the debt ceiling deal I am absolutely NO!!’ Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., wrote on Twitter.
“This ‘deal’ is madness,” Rep. tweeted. Ralph Norman, R.S.C. “A $4T debt ceiling increase without spending cuts is not what we agreed upon. I’m not going to vote to bankrupt our country. The American people deserve better.”
‘I think it’s a disaster!’ tweeted Matt Rosendale, R-Mont.
McCarthy will have to rely on the Democrat’s “yes” votes to counter the GOP numbers. The New Democratic Coalition of nearly 100 members supported the bill.
The speaker must also be careful because of a new rule that only allows one member of either party to force a vote to remove him as speaker – known as the single person motion to vacate. Then only a simple majority needs to vote to remove him.
The deal increases military spending in 2023 to meet President Biden’s budget request — $886 billion — and caps non-defense discretionary spending — money that goes to things like law enforcement, foreign aid and scientific research — to $705 billion.
In fiscal year 2024, those numbers may only increase one percent to $895 billion and $711 billion.
Spending on things like veterans’ health care also aligns with Biden’s budget request.
The bill faces its first major test on Tuesday, when the House Rules Committee must approve it to get it on the House floor. McCarthy put three hardline conservatives on the panel as part of a deal to get his speakership.
Two have already said they would vote against the deal – Representatives Chip Roy and Ralph Norman, while one – Representative Thomas Massie – has indicated that he may allow the bill to go to the floor.
It’s not clear if the four Democrats on the panel will vote to move the legislation, but Roy reminded McCarthy on Twitter that he pledged during the speaker’s race not to take anything to the floor without at least seven of the nine Rules GOP votes.
The bill differs largely from the party-line, House-passed Limit, Save Grow Act Republicans passed in April — which would have raised the debt limit by $1.5 trillion instead of suspending it and capped spending for 10 years in instead of two.
After two years, it will switch to non-legally bound spending targets.
However, the Republicans claimed a victory in the provisions of the deal that will reclaim $28 billion in unspent Covid aid and reduce the $80 billion in additional funding the Democrats gave the IRS last Congress. The bill cuts $1.4 billion in IRS funding and shifts $20 billion of the $80 billion to non-defense discretionary funding.
The bill does not reverse Biden’s student loan relief plan, but stipulates that student loan payments, which have been suspended since the start of the pandemic, will resume on August 29.
Freedom Caucus members, including Ralph Norman, SC, left, Andy Biggs, Ariz., center, and Lauren Boebert, Colo., right, have opposed the bill
The bill also raises the age at which SNAP and TANF recipients must work from 50 to 55, with exceptions for veterans, the homeless and people who were children in foster care. The White House says these exemptions make about the same number of people eligible for nutritional assistance.
The bill also includes allowing reforms – revisions to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to streamline permitting timelines for renewable and non-renewable energy projects.
The bill also includes a direct victory for Senator Joe Manchin, who approves West Virginia’s Mountain Valley Pipeline.
“This bill is NOT good for ANY American. It only helps special interests… oh yeah, and Joe Manchin’s project,” said Texas Representative Anna Paulina Luna, who opposed the bill.
Republicans were unable to push through the deeper cuts and stricter job demands they had wanted. They also wanted to repeal hundreds of billions in fiscal incentives for renewable energy projects that Biden pushed through last Congress in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Democrats, meanwhile, wanted to raise taxes on corporations and high earners and allow Medicare to negotiate prices for more drugs, but those provisions were also omitted from the bill.