The possibility that the United States will fall into default continues to increase, while the fight between Republican and Democratic congressmen intensifies to approve the raising of the debt ceiling.
Despite this, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, minority leader of the US House of Representatives, assured this Friday that his party “will not let a default happen.” This was reported by the news portal The Hill.
For Jeffries, the agreement obtained between the leader of the Republicans in Congress, Kevin McCarthy, and the US president, Joe Biden, represents a political victory for the Democratic Party, but he warned that its approval depends on the majority of the House of Representatives.
In fact, Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Massachusetts, told reporters that “under the rules, everything is very simple: the majority is responsible for passing the deal,” putting more pressure on Congressman Kevin McCarthy, who must convince members of his party to approve the deal.
Jeffries, on the other hand, admitted that they do not have, at the moment, the precise numbers of votes necessary to help the Republicans pass the agreement. However, according to information from The Hill, the congressman and minority leader of the House of Representatives indicated that at least 70 Democrats will support the agreement.
This support, according to Jeffries, is conditioned on the fact that McCarthy manages to gather at least 150 votes in favor of the agreement.
“We will continue to hold House Republicans to their commitment to produce 150 votes in favor of the deal, a resolution they brokered themselves. When that happens, Democrats will make sure there is no default.”
The agreement will raise the US debt ceiling for the next two years, and although it does not contemplate cuts to health programs or Social Security, some programs, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF, for its acronym in English) may be harmed.
Keep reading:
– Congressman raised the possibility of expelling Kevin McCarthy from the Republican spokesperson in the House of Representatives for the debt ceiling agreement
– The most conservative wing of Republicans in Congress boycotts agreement on the debt ceiling and anticipates a vote against it in the House
– Democratic and Republican parties face internal differences on the debt ceiling to give their approval