Dingell says McCarthy might not have votes to pass budget proposal

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) on Sunday poured cold water on the idea that House Republicans could pass the budget proposal they laid out on the floor last week, seeking to cut spending while raising the debt limit.

“I’m concerned about the budget that they put forward … and I’m not sure [Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has] the votes for it or not,” Dingell said on “Fox News Sunday.”

“Because I don’t think there are some Republicans that want to vote to cut education, reduce veterans spending by 22 percent,” Dingell said. “It’s gonna hurt cancer research, it’s gonna hurt law enforcement, first responders.”

McCarthy, who has been locked in a battle with the White House over the debt ceiling, released a budget last week that would see the debt ceiling raised over $1 trillion but also return federal spending to 2022 levels and cap growth at 1 percent annually. 

The proposal from McCarthy comes as Republicans have demanded the White House commit to future spending cuts in exchange for lifting the debt ceiling, which is fast approaching sometime in the early to mid-summer. The White House has said it won’t negotiate on spending cuts, and many Democrats have urged Republicans to pass a debt ceiling increase with no string attached.

“Let’s get the debt ceiling done. Let’s not play games. We shouldn’t be doing it and it’s already hurting what’s going to happen to our economy,” Dingell said on Sunday.

Democrats including Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) have lobbied his party to consider the spending cut proposal.

Dingell, though, said that while she believes discussions over spending cuts are fair, she thinks getting the budget under control should not harm middle-class Americans.

“Do I think we should all be talking about how do we cut our spending? I’m always somebody that says sit down at the table, talk to each other… I think it’s very important,” Dingell said on “Fox News Sunday.” “We gotta work towards reducing our spending but doing it in the right way that it doesn’t hurt working men and women in this country.”