‘Squad’ members threaten Biden amid fears of major concessions in debt ceiling bill
Rachel Schilke
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Members of the “Squad” are warning President Joe Biden that they will push back on a debt ceiling bill if they think he gave up too much to Republicans.
Tuesday is the last day Biden and congressional leaders are all in Washington, D.C., to work on a deal before the United States defaults on its debt, which can come as early as June 1. Biden, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and Senate leaders are scheduled to meet Tuesday at 3 p.m.
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The president has drawn the line in the sand at the Inflation Reduction Act and other areas as non-starters in negotiations, but some of Congress’s most liberal politicians are worried that Biden may make concessions in key areas important to the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) told Axios that it is “really important that we don’t give ground” on areas such as welfare work requirements and energy permitting reform — two of many policies that House Republicans are looking to restrict or slash as part of the GOP’s Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023.
Jayapal said that progressive leaders have been transparent about their thoughts on the debt ceiling debates.
“We have made it clear … that if they give on these core Democratic values, there will be a huge backlash,” she said, adding that there will be “backlash at the polling booth” with progressives not turning out.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (R-NY) said he is not anticipating that progressive members will agree with the White House’s concessions to Democrats.
“I’m very, very concerned,” Bowman said, adding that he is “leaning towards not optimistic in terms of what we’re going to give up.”
Since the start, Democrats and progressive lawmakers have raised concerns that Republicans will use the debt ceiling as a bargaining tool to force Biden to roll back some of his more left-leaning policies. House Republicans have also called for border security to be part of the debt ceiling bill, an area where progressives typically slam Republicans for being anti-immigration.
The White House appears open to some provisions, such as rescinding unspent COVID-19 funds, implementing caps on spending, and some requirements on social safety programs. Biden told reporters on Sunday that while he “voted for tougher aid programs” in the past, Medicaid is a “different story,” and he’s waiting to hear the GOP’s exact proposal.
However, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said the discussions are made up of “destructive” methods and that progressives will not rally to Biden’s side if he agrees to sign anything other than a “clean” debt ceiling increase that doesn’t include spending cuts.
The White House can “expect pushback on nearly any significant concession,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “This is not an appropriate vehicle … I don’t think we should normalize such destructive tactics.”
“It’s profoundly destructive and it also threatens to weaken the president,” Ocasio-Cortez said regarding Republicans’ methods.
However, Biden appeared to oppose the GOP’s plans to expand work rules for food aid on Monday, tweeting that Republicans’ “wish list would put a million older adults at risk of losing their food assistance and going hungry.”
The debt ceiling negotiations could also have long-lasting effects heading into the 2024 election. Republicans have a razor-thin majority in the House, and Democrats are fighting hard to maintain their majority in the Senate.
Should Democrats make major concessions in the debt ceiling debates, Bowman fears that this could severely affect the perception of Democrats in Congress.
“It makes us look weak and like we don’t know what we’re doing,” Bowman said.
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Some progressives are looking for ways to circumvent Biden making concessions to Republicans. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) is expected to make a case to use the 14th Amendment as a way to force a “clean” debt ceiling increase, while others are hoping for a discharge petition.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) wrote in a letter to Democrats at the beginning of May that he would be seeking a petition to force a vote on a debt ceiling increase, requiring 218 votes to push it to the House floor.