House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy defended the Republican record on curtailing escalating national debt, saying his party still stood for fiscal responsibility.
“This is a core element of what we fundamentally believe,” the California Republican told reporters Thursday. “I believe our greatest crisis in America today is our debt. Unfortunately, we’re living in a world where the new socialist Democrats are in the majority.”
Later Thursday, the House is expected to pass a two-year, $1.4 trillion budget deal agreed to with the Senate and President Trump. The package lifts federal budget caps by $320 billion and suspends the debt ceiling, allowing the Treasury Department to borrow money without restrictions until July 31, 2021.
McCarthy stood behind GOP efforts to limit the measure, arguing it spent $100 billion less than what was initially proposed during the appropriations process.
“But have we gone far enough? No. I want to see more done,” he said, adding he didn’t think half his conference would support it.
The leader also suggested Thursday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s upcoming meeting with New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would likely be less about Trump’s impeachment and more about “trying to get her conference in line.”
“There’s a question at times I hear on the floor. The question who actually the speaker is? That’s why they’re having a meeting,” he said.
