White House won’t help McCarthy whip Republican votes for debt ceiling deal
Christian Datoc
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The White House will not reach out to House Republicans threatening to tank a debt ceiling agreement ironed out by negotiators for President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young said Tuesday.
Young, one of Biden’s top negotiators throughout the debt ceiling discussions, briefed reporters for the first time Tuesday afternoon after the framework was announced over the weekend and faced multiple questions about opposition from members of the House Freedom Caucus.
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“I’m going to let the speaker work with his conference,” she told reporters when asked how many Republicans the White House believes will vote for the bill. “We’re going to leave that to them to work out the votes and how they get there.
“We talked to them in good faith, they talked to us in good faith, but now it’s their chance to talk to their members. We, from here, are making sure members know what’s in this bill,” Young continued. “I know a lot of members of Congress. What you don’t do is call and tell them what to do. You educate. You say, ‘Let me know what you need to know what’s in this bill, how it’s written, how it’s going to be implemented. And we’re here to answer you.’
“Every member should have whatever opinion,” Young said later in the briefing when asked about dissent voiced by some liberal House members, specifically Congressional Progressive Caucus chairwoman Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). “I’ll let them figure that out.”
Young, who repeatedly said that both parties didn’t get everything they wanted in the compromise, also declined to outline what specifically Biden lost in the negotiations.
“The American people won,” she stated, indicating that Biden viewed every situation where the country avoids a default as a victory.
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You can watch Tuesday’s briefing in full below.
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