‘Blueprint to devastate hard-working American families:’ White House bashes House GOP proposal

The White House early Thursday bashed the long-awaited House Republican debt limit proposal that Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced the day prior, calling it a “blueprint to devastate hard-working American families.”

“Yesterday, Speaker McCarthy sided with the extreme MAGA wing of his conference and released a blueprint to devastate hard-working American families. MAGA House Republicans are holding the American economy hostage in order to take a hatchet to programs Americans rely on every day to make ends meet,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

The bill pairs a debt ceiling increase expected to last into next year with what McCarthy said would be about $4.5 trillion in savings generated in part by cutting Biden administration priorities.

It aims to raise the debt limit by $1.5 trillion or through March 31, 2024, whichever comes first, and it proposes reverting discretionary spending caps to fiscal 2022 levels while limiting growth to 1 percent annually over the next decade.

Jean-Pierre said on Thursday that House Republicans who vote for the bill are voting “to cut education, veterans medical care, cancer research, meals on wheels, food safety, and law enforcement.” She added they would also voting to offshore America manufacturing, take health care away for Americans, threaten food assistance for older Americans, increase energy bills, raise taxes, and “protect wealthy tax cheats.”

“That stands in stark contrast with President Biden’s Budget, which Invests in America, lowers costs for hardworking families, and cuts the deficit by asking the super-wealthy and largest corporations to pay their fair share,” Jean-Pierre said.

The bill McCarthy announced is expected to get a House floor vote next week. But with just a four-vote Republican majority, McCarthy will have to work to ensure it can pass.

The White House on Thursday reiterated calls for House Republicans to avoid default and stop playing economic brinkmanship. President Biden visited a union training facility in Maryland on Wednesday to contrast his economic vision with that of House Republicans after McCarthy spoke on Wall Street earlier this week.

The White House has been adamant that Congress should pass a clean measure to raise the debt ceiling and any negotiations over government spending should be handled separately. Biden spoke to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday night and the trio agreed that they won’t negotiate over default.

— Updated at 8:44 a.m.