An influential conservative group has come out in opposition to the
debt limit
bill brokered by House Speaker
Kevin McCarthy
(R-CA) and President
Joe Biden
that has fractured GOP unity in recent days.
Heritage Action
, an offshoot of the
Heritage Foundation
, urged a “key vote” against the Fiscal Responsibility Act as the nation inches closer to the June 5 “X-date,” when it could default on its bills. A “key vote” is the group’s accountability measure score for conservatives in Congress.
BIDEN WORKS TO PUSH DEBT CEILING DEAL OVER THE FINISH LINE
The group argued the bill fell short of its
January
demands that called for legislation that will “cap and cut overall spending to FY 22 levels, include pro-growth policies that fully offset a transparent dollar amount increase in the debt ceiling, and adequately address the trajectory of federal spending.”
“This bill does not do enough to reduce spending. Best estimates, which rely on waivable provisions in the bill, show that H.R. 3746 would only reduce spending against the CBO baseline by $2.1 trillion. Further, the pro-growth policies, rescissions, and administrative sequestration provisions would likely only result in small scale changes in economic output and federal deficits,” the group
wrote
on Wednesday.
The “key vote” is a blow to McCarthy and his allies, who have faced intense pushback from conservative House members who have threatened to vote against the bill and led to Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) threatening to file a motion to vacate McCarthy’s speakership.
The House Rules Committee
narrowly approved
the advancement of the measure Tuesday evening in a 7-6 vote. Two Republicans, Reps.
Chip Roy
(R-TX) and
Ralph Norman
(R-SC), went so far as to vote with all Democrats against the measure. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) wavered on supporting the bill’s advancement but voted in favor of it.
By Wednesday morning, more than two dozen GOP House members have come out against the bill, including a vocal group of House Freedom Caucus members. Yet top Republican leaders such as Rep.
Patrick McHenry
(R-NC) projected confidence, saying they have enough votes to pass the legislation during a floor vote on Wednesday evening. Democrats are expected to deliver more than 100 votes for the measure, while McCarthy will need to garner either 112 votes (half of the GOP House conference) or 150 votes (two-thirds of the conference). Failure to do so could lead to his ouster as House speaker.
Even some Democrats, furious at work requirements for able-bodied adults needing federal food assistance, said they are opposed to the legislation, including Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman
Pramila Jayapal
(D-WA). The influential liberal lawmaker called the measure an ”
absolutely terrible policy
.”
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Heritage Action joined liberals and other conservatives in denouncing the measure — albeit for vastly different reasons than Democrats.
“This deal does not meet the moment, and it does not address the root problems that have led to nearly $32 trillion in national debt,” it noted. “As members of Congress continue the fight to rein in Washington’s spending addiction and prevent the country’s fiscal ruin, we remain committed to finding solutions to once and for all bend the spending curve down.”
