Washington – Bipartisan Agreement to raise the debt ceiling Government spending and curbing government spending passed a crucial test in Congress on Tuesday, emerging from the House Rules Committee despite opposition from some conservatives.
With the clock ticking to prevent the nation from defaulting on its debt, the committee, which sets ground rules, how long to debate legislation and any permitted amendments, voted 7 to 6. To move the bill to the House floor, where a vote is expected Wednesday.
Two members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus sitting on the committee — Rep. Chip Roy of Texas and Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina — voted against letting it go ahead, saying it does too little to rein in government spending. They would have needed another Republican on the committee to join them to sideline the deal, which President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy hammered out over the weekend after weeks of talks.
But Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a third conservative on the committee, provided the deciding vote in advancing the legislation.
“When people want to express their ideology, the House floor on actual final approval of a bill is the place to do it,” Massey said.
The House Rules Committee is just the first hurdle the deal must clear before its possible final passage. Congress is trying to get the legislation across the finish line before Monday, when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen does projected The federal government will run out of cash to pay its bills.
A growing number of Republicans have said they will not vote, including Representatives. Wesley Hunt texas, Nancy Mays South Carolina and Corey Mills fl. The House Freedom Caucus is also mobilizing other Republicans to vote against him.
“This deal fell through, and it fails utterly,” Freedom Caucus chairman Scott Perry said at a news conference Tuesday before the rules committee’s vote. This is why these members and others will absolutely oppose the deal and we will do everything we can to stop it.
Roy added, “No Republican should vote for this deal. It’s a bad deal.”
Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina called it “a career-defining vote for every Republican.”
“If there is any way to save what we started as a unified convention, if there is any way to do so, this bill, if it passes, must pass less than half of the Republican convention,” Bishop said.
But nearly two dozen House Republicans showed up for a late-night press conference in support of the legislation, touting it as a victory for conservatives. The session with reporters followed a long closed-door meeting where the members raised their concerns about the bill.
Majority Leader Steve Scales, R-Louisiana, said, “The more people read into this bill, the more they find in terms of real conservative victories.”
He said it would help rein in government spending and get the economy back on track, stressing that “there are a number of pieces in this bill that would not have been in place had Nancy Pelosi still been Speaker of the House.”
McCarthy said he expects a majority of House Republicans to support the measure. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he understood that at least 150 Republicans would vote for the deal, meaning at least 68 Democrats would be needed to pass the bill in the House. But in an interview with “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Jeffries said protest When asked how many Democrats would support her.
The deal also faces opposition in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where it needs 60 votes to pass.
Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah He said It doesn’t go far enough to reduce spending, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina He said he opposes Defense spending caps that could go into effect later in the year if government spending bills are not approved by Congress. Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky said he plans to introduce an amendment “with responsible reforms and necessary cuts.”
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia is seeking to remove a new member Natural gas pipeline project of the bill, his office said on Monday. The bill would speed up construction of the pipeline, which would transport natural gas from West Virginia to Virginia.
“This clause has absolutely nothing to do with the debt ceiling,” his spokeswoman said in a statement. “He plans to introduce an amendment to remove this harmful provision to the Mountain Valley pipeline.”
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