It seems House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries doesn’t stand by his word, at least not recently. In his recent comments on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” Sunday, Jeffries denied the claim made by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy that Jeffries had told him there’s “not one thing in this bill for Democrats.”
The Democrats essentially threw McCarthy under the bus by denying that he spoke to him.
Jeffries said, “I have no idea what he is talking about, particularly because, uh, I have not been able to review the actual legislative text.”
It seems clear from this answer that while the minority leader asserts he hadn’t seen the bill’s full legislative text, he is not quite sure what McCarthy is talking about. It is also no surprise that Jeffries would deny such a suggestion since he clearly does not want to be associated with other Democrats’ irresponsible spending.
President Joe Biden and his White House have been encouraging the Democratic party to back the debt ceiling agreement proposed by McCarthy; however, the agreement does not seem to provide any benefits to the progressive wing of the party.
As stated in a fact sheet sent to Congressional Republicans, the agreement cuts spending back to the 2022 fiscal year level and limits annual spending growth at one percent over the next six years. There is nothing in this deal for Democrats, and it is foolish for Biden to advise them to pass it.
At this point, it looks like Democrats cannot be trusted when it comes to budgeting and debt ceiling issues. It’s clear from Jeffries’ response to McCarthy’s statements that they are more worried about what looks good than actually doing what benefits their constituents.
We should all appreciate the fact that McCarthy is willing to make concessions on taxing and spending, but we should also demand that taxpayer money be allocated more efficiently instead of adding more to our already high national debt.
The debt ceiling agreement proposed by McCarthy is a perfect example of why budgeting should remain a priority for our elected leaders. The time for talking is over—it’s time for Democrats to start taking responsibility.