WASHINGTON – A day after unveiling legislation to overhaul federal spending and bolster the case for President Joe Biden to negotiate the debt ceiling, House Republicans are back at the drawing board.
A group of far-right lawmakers and committee chairs met in a Capitol conference room Monday to revise the spending plan that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) unveiled Monday.
Some lawmakers are unhappy that proposed work requirements for Medicaid and other federal safety net programs aren’t as strict as they’d like.
“There are some cleaning things that we need to discuss,” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry (R-Pa.) told reporters. “And that’s just one of them.”
The Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 would raise the government’s debt limit through next year, avoiding a risky default on the federal debt while spending several trillion over a 10-year window.
“President Biden has a choice: Come to the table and stop playing partisan political games or cover your ears, refuse to negotiate and risk the first default in our country’s history,” McCarthy said on the House floor Wednesday.
Biden will likely wait to negotiate until Republicans pass legislation in the House, which the leader said will be done next week. McCarthy could only lose four Republicans and still pass the bill without any Democratic votes, meaning the margin is slim and individual lawmakers have enough power to pass legislation.
Biden and Democrats say Congress should raise the debt ceiling unconditionally. High stakes: Economists warn that defaults could damage the economy.
Some Republicans have said they oppose the bill or are undecided. Rep. George Santos (RN.Y.) told HuffPost that he was “solidly” against.
A key provision would limit Medicaid health coverage to unemployed adults without dependents. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has proposed requiring about 30 hours of work or training per week to receive benefits, but the bill presented by McCarthy called for 20 hours.
“I’m going to push for something tougher every moment until the vote,” Gaetz told reporters after leaving Thursday’s meeting.
The bill also includes stricter work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food assistance to qualified recipients. However, it is less stringent than what was proposed by Rep. Dusty Johnson (RS.D.). Still, Johnson told HuffPost he’s comfortable with the legislation.