As a dangerous debt ceiling deadline draws closer, leaders from both parties expressed cautious optimism yesterday that budget talks are advancing in a constructive way, and there’s a chance an agreement will come together before the United States defaults on its obligations.
It was against this backdrop that Congress’ most right-wing faction yesterday called for the negotiations to end before a deal can be reached. The Washington Post reported:
The House Freedom Caucus said it’s calling on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to suspend his negotiation on raising the debt limit with the White House and instead focus on getting the House-passed “Limit, Save, Grow Act” through the Senate. “There should be no further discussion until the Senate passes the legislation,” a statement from the Republican group said.
Here’s how the far-right contingent sees it: The House passed a regressive, partisan ransom note, which Freedom Caucus members effectively wrote. As Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz recently told Politico, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his team “just picked up the House Freedom Caucus plan and helped us convert it into the legislative text.”
For all the talk about pursuing a “compromise” and a “deal,” this faction is apparently convinced that the House-passed measure must be approved by the Democratic-led Senate and signed by the Democratic president. If they don’t like the far-right legislation, then Republicans should impose an economic catastrophe on Americans and the world.
In a tweet, the Freedom Caucus, in reference to their preferred bill, added, “No more discussion on watering it down. Period.”
It’s important to emphasize that no one in positions of authority seemed to care much about the Freedom Caucus’ huffing and puffing. The negotiations did not end; GOP leaders didn’t bother to respond to the far-right call; and senators left town as part of the upper chamber’s Memorial Day break.
In other words, the House Freedom Caucus…
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