Republican hardliners still oppose “McCarthy resignation”
An agreement to raise the debt ceiling to prevent the default of the U.S. federal government has passed the first hurdle. However, the political aftermath is growing as Republican hardliners and presidential candidates who oppose the debt ceiling increase criticize the agreement.
On the 30th of last month, the US House Steering Committee passed a bill to raise the debt ceiling agreed by US President Joe Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The House plenary session will vote on the bill on the 31st.
Thirteen members of the House Steering Committee (9 Republicans and 4 Democrats) passed the bill 7-6 that day. According to the practice of opposition to the bill proposed by the majority party, four Democrats opposed it and two hardliners in the Republican Party voted against it.
Republican hardliners called for McCarthy’s resignation. Representative Andy Biggs said of the move to remove McCarthy, “I have not ruled out that option and I have concerns about McCarthy.” Speaker McCarthy allowed the removal of the speaker if even one member agrees to persuade the hardliners of the Republican Party when voting for the speaker of the House in January this year.
Republican presidential candidates also joined in criticizing the agreement. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said, “America is still headed for bankruptcy,” and former Vice President Mike Pence also criticized, “by ignoring the cause of the debt and avoiding the conversation, we passed the debt burden on to future generations.”
The New York Times (NYT) reported on the same day that as the federal budget was actually cut for two years as a condition of raising the debt ceiling, concerns are spreading that 52 billion dollars (about 69 trillion won) of subsidy under the Semiconductor Science Act could be reduced. The agreement would cut non-defense budgets for fiscal year 2024 and limit budget growth to 1% for fiscal year 2025. Taking inflation into account, this is effectively a budget cut.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.