On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) responded to a question on whether there are any proposals — like clawing back unspent COVID relief funds — for raising the debt ceiling that he could agree with by stating that “there should be no brinksmanship when it relates to the debt ceiling.”
Jeffries said, “We will have a conversation about the types of future investments that we should be making in the health, the safety, and the economic well-being of the American people, but it should be done through a budget process and through the appropriations process, not in a hostage-taking situation.”
Later, co-host Joe Kernen asked, “I guess leadership on both sides has members that they need to try to satisfy for them to move forward. So, we know that Speaker McCarthy is going to try to introduce this bill. If there is a bill, and if they do manage to get a majority — they need, I guess, nearly every Republican to vote for it — and there [are] a couple of things in there that they send over to the Senate, but an offer to raise the debt limit for a year, would you, at that point, think that the Senate — if the Senate changes a few things, is there anything that could come back, that Speaker McCarthy wants that you’d be okay with? Whether it’s the COVID relief funds that haven’t been spent or — I mean, anything there where both sides can say, we got something out of this? Or it’s just clean debt ceiling or nothing? Because if it goes that way, you can maybe push the Republicans to that brinksmanship, but that’s not good for anyone.”
Jeffries responded, “Well, we’re in total agreement with President Reagan’s position, with Donald Trump’s position, and Paul Ryan’s position that there should be no brinksmanship when it relates to the debt ceiling. Now, some of the things that the Republican majority [are] demanding that all of us pass in order to raise the debt ceiling for a year…for instance, are that we pass the so-called H.R. 1 Republican bill, which is a partisan bill that puts polluters over people, that makes no sense. That’s a legislative item. And there’s a legislative process to have a discussion about what is the right thing to do for the American people. We certainly shouldn’t entertain cuts to Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid and veterans’ benefits and things of this nature that some of the extreme MAGA Republicans in the House majority would like to do and are demanding be done in order to pass the debt ceiling, that is all irresponsible. And I think that the right thing to do is for us to make sure we protect the full faith and credit of the United States of America, particularly during a fragile time for our economy.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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