OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz was the main roadblock to House Speaker and California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy becoming Speaker, but now he is a fan.
“I’d give him an ‘A,’” the representative said to CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju. “I don’t give it lightly. I think he’s done a good job.”
“I think he’s doing better than expected,” another former critic, Arizona Republican Rep. Andy Biggs said.
They gave him high marks even after both voted against his legislation to raise the debt ceiling.
“As our nation is careening into a $32 trillion debt, Congress shouldn’t be making final changes at 2 a.m. – the morning of the vote – to legislation raising the debt limit $1.5 trillion,” Rep. Gaetz said of his vote.
“While I applaud the work of my Republican colleagues to demand better energy policy, regulatory reform, welfare-to-work requirements and less spending, a troubling fact remains. This plan will increase America’s debt by $16 trillion over the next ten years.
“Gaslighting nearly $50 trillion in debt to America is something my conscious cannot abide by at this time,” he said.
“Our national debt is a top national security threat. I have never voted to raise the debt ceiling in my time in Congress – even while President Trump was in the Oval Office — and didn’t today for the same reasons,” Rep. Biggs said. “We owe the American people and our future generations sound and responsible fiscal policy. Increasing the national debt to ‘only’ $47 trillion over ten years — an increase of over $14 trillion from today — is misguided and perpetuates Washington’s spending problem.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz, a one-time fierce critic of McCarthy’s, praised his job performance so far. “I’d give him an ‘A,’” he told me. “I don't give it lightly. I think he's done a good job.”
Andy Biggs, who ran against McCarthy: “I think he's doing better than expected,” he said— Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 27, 2023
Before Republicans passed the debt ceiling increase Speaker McCarthy was optimistic he had the votes to do it.
In a Fox News interview, anchor Maria Bartiromo asked McCarthy if he had sufficient votes for the bill that proposes suspending the debt limit until it increases by $1.5 trillion or until March 31, 2024 — whichever occurs first. The bill includes spending cuts and commitments aimed at promoting economic growth.
“We do have a very small majority, only five seats, one of the smallest we have ever had,” McCarthy said on “Sunday Morning Futures.”
But he waved off a discussion about a small number of Republicans who reportedly oppose the measure: “I cannot imagine someone in our conference that would want to go along with [President Joe] Biden’s reckless spending.”
The Speaker added that “everybody’s had input” during talks about the plan over the past months, but he also warned that most members won’t get “100 percent” of what they want. In addition, he chided Biden for refusing to hold negotiations for the roughly 80 days since talks were last held on the matter in early February, the Daily Wire reported.
But President Joe Biden has said he will not negotiate with Speaker McCarthy on the debt ceiling.
“The United States have never — has never in our history failed to pay our debts. That is something that we have never done ever, again, in our history of this country,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
“We’re not a deadbeat nation. Avoiding default is Congress’s responsibility. And they should act in — on it without preconditions as they have done in Democratic and Republican administrations, and they should do that immediately.
“House Republicans are holding our economy hostage and threatening default, crashing the economy, jeopardizing hardworking Americans’ retirement, and causing millions of Americans to lose their jobs,” she said.
“As the President said yesterday, he’s happy to meet with Speaker McCarthy but not on whether or not the debt limit gets extended. That is not negotiable, and we have been very clear about this for the past several months. We have not minced words here.
“House Republicans are holding the economy hostage, threatening Americans’ jobs and retirement savings unless we and the Senate agree on an extreme MAGA wish list of slashing education, veterans’ healthcare, and Meals on Wheels; taking away healthcare for millions of Americans; and sending manufacturing jobs overseas,” the press secretary said.
“It’s increase — it’ll increase cost of working families, as I’ve talked about before from here at this podium. And what this bill will do — it’ll kill jobs, and it’s all to pay for tax cuts for the super-rich and profitable companies.
“It’s not how we grow our economy. The President has been very clear how he sees our economy moving forward. He has actually put forth pieces of legislation and policy on how he sees this — the economy moving forward. And it’s not trickle-down economics. It is building the economy from the bottom up, middle out, and making sure we leave no Americans behind — we leave no one behind,” she said.
“And what we’re seeing from what Republicans have put forward: It will leave people behind. It will hurt Americans, including veterans, including our seniors — just Americans across the board.
“So, again, we took a step back. We are not negotiating on this. We have been very clear it is their constitutional duty to take action,” she said.
