We are down to the final stretch of the debt ceiling debacle, which has been excruciating. It makes the 2011 debt ceiling drama starring Barack Obama and the Tea Party look quaint by comparison. As we go into the last hours the sticking point seems to be work requirements for SNAP benefits. This is the point of no return for both parties, seemingly. The Democrats won’t stand for it and the Republicans insist that they won’t sign any bill that doesn’t contain it. So where does that leave things?
The crux of the issue is that the smart money says that Kevin McCarthy doesn’t have the votes from his own House Republican caucus to pass the spending cuts that he is demanding from President Biden. Naturally, nobody wants to go on record naming names or even guessing who might bail on McCarthy, but that’s what is clear at this point. So if McCarthy can’t deliver his own caucus, he’s screwed. He’s cornered and he’s going to have to go along with what Biden says.
Biden may know this. The president has come under a lot of criticism for not going “to the bully pulpit” this week, but he may not have to. It may all be shaking down the way that he wants it to. Hakeem Jeffries has the same unified caucus that Nancy Pelosi had and if McCarthy needs votes from them to pass some bill of his, then he may just be left hanging in the wind.
After contours of a deal began to emerge Thursday, 35 members of the caucus wrote to McCarthy denouncing as “outrageous” and “preposterous” the reported details — and insisting McCarthy make new demands, including immigration restrictions.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.), one of the signers, gave a passionate nearly 30-minute floor speech Thursday afternoon accusing McCarthy’s negotiators of “taking the first exit ramp off to cut a deal.” Added Roy: “What are Republicans doing? Running away!”
And Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) warned that the rumored deal “would absolutely collapse the Republican majority for this debt ceiling increase.” If McCarthy has to rely heavily on Democratic votes to pass a debt deal, his speakership would be effectively done.
Here’s a clip from earlier Friday which gives the state of play. Look for the drama to narrowly focus in on McCarthy starting very soon.
If the GOP majority does collapse, as alluded to here, then guess whose butt hits the sidewalk?
the Los Angeles Times is reporting that future Republican cuts include: air traffic control; cancer and Alzheimer’s research; Meals on Wheels; infrastructure in general; opioid treatments; Head Start; rail, food and drug safety; and much, much more. Although Social Security and Medicare wouldn’t face cuts, good luck getting assistance once the programs’ staffing is reduced.
And nothing on that list surprises me. That is because I know the Republican 10 Commandments: One: Thou Shalt Not Tax The Uber Wealthy (say it nine more times)
What a terrific group of social engineers we’ve got in the GOP. But then you knew that.
Yes, if he wants to keep his job he will have to join forces with Biden and the Democrats and take some moderate Republicans with him. That will isolate the far right wingnuts and completely change the complexion of Congress. Gonna be crazy and I hope not Jan 6 crazy.
If he does that, not that he shouldn’t but if he does it, he risks losing the gavel. I’m not sure Kavein’ Kevie has the balls to do what’s right for the nation or anything even close to that. More to the point, he got the gavel and would much rather hit himself in the nuts with it every hour of every day rather than risk giving it up.
McCarthy is a total jerk. (I would use a different term for describing him but it would not be polite.). We need to be sure that we regain the majority in the House next year. Otherwise, these problems that we have with him will continue. I wish his constituents would replace him with a human being who cares about the country. I don’t understand why they continue to reelect him since he is totally worthless.