GOP seizes on debt ceiling vote to target vulnerable Democrats in new attack ads
Cami Mondeaux
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Just one day after the House narrowly passed the GOP-led debt ceiling package, Republicans started using the vote to target vulnerable Democrats in a series of new ads that attack the lawmakers for voting against the legislation.
The American Action Network, a conservative nonprofit advocacy group, launched the six-figure ad buy earlier this week, hitting on House Democrats for voting against the debt limit bill and accusing them of “putting the economy in crisis.” The ad comes after the House passed the measure along party lines on Wednesday in a 217-215 vote with all Democrats voting “no.”
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“They refused to responsibly raise the debt ceiling,” the ad says. “They voted against saving billions in unspent COVID funds, rejected cutting red tape to lower your costs, and even voted against reducing America’s debt, keeping us reliant on China.”
The ad also takes aim at President Joe Biden over his refusal to meet with McCarthy to continue negotiations, which the president has said he won’t do until the House passes a clean debt ceiling increase.
“Instead of negotiating common-sense solutions, they’re putting the American economy in crisis,” the ad says.
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The ads are set to run in the districts of some of the most vulnerable House Democrats, including those who are running in districts that Trump carried in 2020. Those include Reps. Mary Peltola (D-AK), Yadira Caraveo (D-CO), Jared Golden (D-ME), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Wiley Nickel (D-NC), Gabe Vasquez (D-NM), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Emilia Sykes (D-OH), Susan Wild (D-PA), Matt Cartwright (D-PA), and Marie Perez (D-WA).
The ads are also set to play in the districts of some top House Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), House Rules Committee Ranking Member Jim McGovern (D-MA), and House Budget Committee Ranking Member Brendan Boyle (D-PA).
The attack messaging comes as Republicans seek to control the narrative surrounding the debt ceiling crisis, an issue that is likely to become a top talking point during the 2024 cycle.
Republicans aren’t the only ones to seize on the debt limit vote. Democrats similarly launched an ad campaign earlier this week targeting House Republicans for voting in favor of the debt ceiling hike that included roughly $130 billion in spending cuts — accusing the GOP of gutting crucial government programs that voters depend on.
McCarthy unveiled his long-awaited debt ceiling bill last week, proposing to raise the debt ceiling over the next year either by $1.5 trillion or until March 31, 2024, whichever comes first. The Limit, Save, Grow Act seeks to cool inflation and limit government spending by reducing discretionary funds to pre-pandemic levels and capping budget increases 1% each year, among other provisions.
Now with the legislation making it through the House, all eyes are on Biden to see if he’ll agree to meet with McCarthy to hash out an agreement. Biden and McCarthy initially met in January to begin negotiations, but that meeting ended without a binding agreement because the White House remains adamant it will not discuss federal spending until the borrowing limit is lifted.
Since then, McCarthy said Biden has “ignored every opportunity to communicate” and continue negotiations.
“I don’t know what [else] we’re supposed to do,” McCarthy said. “We’ve done our job.”
As a result, some Democrats have joined the calls of their Republican colleagues for Biden to return to the negotiating table.
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“The clock is ticking on this debt ceiling crisis and the American people will pay the economic price if President Biden continues to refuse to sit down and negotiate a commonsense compromise that would prevent a historic default,” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said on Thursday. “It has now been 85 days since the President sat down with the Speaker. Only the President can prevent this from becoming a full-blown domestic crisis. For the sake of our nation that we all serve, I urge the President to put politics and partisanship aside, come to the table and negotiate a real compromise that saves America from this impending economic catastrophe.”
The United States hit its debt ceiling on Jan. 19, raising fears of a default. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said her department would take “extraordinary measures” to prevent the U.S. from defaulting on its obligations, but the department will only have a few months before those measures are exhausted.