Republican leaders and the White House secured key lawmakers’ support for their agreement to avoid a harmful default on US debt, increasing confidence that the agreement can be quickly approved by Congress.
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden don’t have much room for error to ensure the bipartisan deal they agreed to late Saturday passes after days of heated negotiations.
The deal immediately sparked a backlash from right-wing conservatives.
Chip Roy of Texas called it a “turd sandwich,” Ralph Norman of South Carolina called it “crazy,” and Dan Bishop of North Carolina called it a green vomit emoji, raising concerns that the deal could face an uphill struggle on Capitol Hill.
But moderate lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties have indicated they would certify the deal, indicating it has enough support to pass into law.
“With a divided government, the only way forward is to find a middle ground and put the interests of the American people above all else,” Mike Lawler, a Republican member of the House of Representatives from a swing district north of New York City, said in a statement.
“Nothing we do in Congress is easy. There can always be a torturous road to getting there, but I’m pretty confident we’ll get it done,” Dusty Johnson, a South Dakota Republican, told the Financial Times.
He said the response from the majority of House Republicans was “very strong” and that the votes of members “on the fringes” of the party were “never been”.
Johnson also defended the deal on its merits. “This bill is a series of big wins for conservatives – and there is no way this bill will move American society in a more liberal or progressive way than the status quo,” he said.
The first critical test will be the House vote expected on Wednesday. The Senate is due to follow the vote, which could slide to the end of next week. If no legislation is enacted by June 5th, the US will run out of cash to pay all of its bills, which could roil financial markets and plunge the US and global economies into recession.
House members are expected to return to Washington on Tuesday after the Memorial Day weekend before the vote. McCarthy has a very small majority to work with in the House of Representatives, but he will be able to count on the support of some Democrats to offset Republican defections.
Many lawmakers remain hesitant and hold back until they have more time to study the bill. Biden was speaking with members of Congress before the vote, according to the White House.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done from here to the floor vote. That’s the thing about having such a slim majority. Even the most routine procedure, said Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist at Penta Group, a Washington consulting firm. He has the potential to become a painful brawler.
Most policy analysts still expect the bill to pass.
said Ben Colton of Beacon Policy Advisors, referring to an effort to strip McCarthy of his spokeswoman.
“It will explode right out of the box, no questions asked,” predicted James Lussier, managing director at Capital Alpha.
On the Democratic side, there has been some progressive nervousness over some of the concessions Biden has agreed to. But expressions of support, even if half-hearted, rolled in on Sunday.
“Our members are encouraged that both sides have come to an agreement, and they are confident that President Biden and White House negotiators have found a viable bipartisan solution to end this crisis,” said Annie Koster of New Hampshire, who heads a coalition of moderates. Democrats.
Most of the drama is expected to be on the Republican side. The first hurdle is likely to be a vote in the House Rules Committee, which includes several Republican opponents of the bill who might try to block it.
External pressure can also be a factor. Former President Donald Trump, who remains in control of the Republicans, previously called on lawmakers to default in the absence of deep spending cuts.
Even after the deal, “our country will still be headed toward bankruptcy,” Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor of Florida, told Fox & Friends.
“I think we’ve set ourselves on a trajectory here, really since March 2020, with some of the Covid spending, it’s completely reset the budget. And they’re sticking with that. And I think that’s going to be totally insufficient to put us in a better place.”
Both are candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. But Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee and Trump ally, was enthusiastic about the deal, calling it a “dramatic victory” for McCarthy.
“Before the history-changing bill was passed, no one believed it was possible to cut spending, redefine business requirements, and reform permitting for energy, infrastructure, and more,” she told Fox News in an interview Sunday.