House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is criticizing Biden for endangering the American economy by failing to negotiate the debt ceiling, with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) also asking for negotiations.
Manchin has also asked Biden to negotiate with McCarthy to avoid a default. The American people will “pay the economic price” if Biden continues to not sit down and negotiate a “commonsense compromise,” he said.
The Republican Bill
The GOP bill to raise the debt limit, called the “Limit, Save, Grow Act,” was passed by the House in a single day on April 27 by a 217–215 majority. Republicans intend the bill to be the basis for talks with Democrats.The bill calls for capping spending growth to 1 percent a year, returning discretionary spending to 2022 levels, and repealing certain tax credits. It removes barriers to boosting domestic energy production, will take back unspent COVID-19 relief funds, reimposes work requirements for people on welfare, and cancels Biden’s $400 billion student loan forgiveness program.
At a press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre blamed Republicans for “threatening a default and crashing the economy.”
Breaching Debt Ceiling
If the United States were to breach the debt ceiling, it could have serious economic consequences for the country. Economists at Goldman Sachs estimate that the event will immediately bring to a stop about a tenth of America’s economic activity.Moody’s Analytics estimates a 4 percent reduction in GDP in case of a default lasting for four months. In addition, stock prices are expected to fall by a third, leading to companies laying off six million workers. A downturn similar to the 2007-2009 Great Recession is also a possibility.
Meanwhile, a group of 43 House Democrats have introduced a bill that would repeal the debt ceiling. Republicans insist that the debt ceiling is a useful feature as it forces lawmakers to reexamine their spending habits when deciding on the federal budget.
“You would sit down and work with them to figure out how they could change their spending habits so it never happens again. That exact same thing is true for our national debt. Debt limit negotiations are an opportunity to examine our nation’s finances.”