During a conference meeting on Tuesday, the House Republican leadership announced that a vote on a plan to increase the debt ceiling through spending cuts and other reforms will take place next week in the House.
On Tuesday morning, the House Republican Conference met to discuss passing a debt ceiling plan to pressure Joe Biden and congressional Democrats to engage in negotiations for a longer-term deal.
It is expected that the House will try to pass the bill before the lower chamber of Congress goes on recess on April 28.
The House Republican plan would include lifting the debt ceiling until May 2024, ten-year spending caps, a clawback of unspent coronavirus aid money, the inclusion of Republicans’ sweeping energy bill, the Lower Energy Costs Act, work requirement, and the REINS Act, which would allow Congress to roll back the regulatory state.
During the conference meeting, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy emphasized the need for House Republicans to approve the debt ceiling bill in order to enhance the GOP’s negotiating ability with Joe Biden, who has declined to engage in talks concerning prospective reforms or spending cuts despite the current record levels of inflation in the United States.
The Republican speaker expressed his willingness to consider incorporating additional measures to the debt ceiling bill. However, he contended that these should not include a repeal of green energy tax credits or defunding of the extra 80,000 IRS agents, as doing so would provide the Senate with a legislative vehicle to increase the debt ceiling.
According to House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry, Republicans should not be afraid to include more conservative reforms in the bill.
Rep. Chip Roy suggested that House Republicans utilize the debt ceiling proposal as an opportunity to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, a spending bill on climate change.
Despite holding a slim majority in the House, Rep. Patrick McHenry, the chair of the House Financial Services Committee, expressed his confidence in the ability of Republicans to obtain the requisite votes to pass the bill.
An American Action Network (AAN) poll revealed that voters in 87 battleground districts overwhelmingly support House Republicans’ move to raise the debt ceiling with spending reforms.
