House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and other top House Republicans raced Tuesday to lock down votes for a legislative package that would raise the debt ceiling while cutting spending that they believe will strengthen their negotiating position with Democrats as a standoff looms later this year.
McCarthy hosted GOP members in the speaker’s office all day Tuesday as tense talks continued between leadership and some members from different factions who remain noncommittal on or opposed to the bill, called the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023
“This week we will pass a bill on this floor that will lift the debt ceiling, something the Senate has not done, something the president has not negotiated, and send it over to the Senate,” McCarthy told reporters at the end of the day, even while a small number of Republicans threaten to derail its passage.
The speaker emphasized that the bill is not the final package that President Joe Biden will ultimately sign but rather a negotiating tool.
“This bill is to get us to the negotiating table. It’s not the final provisions, and there’s a number of members that will vote for it going forward and say there are concerns they have … but they want to make sure the negotiation goes forward,” McCarthy said.
