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Chair of Progressive Caucus Made a Very Concerning Prediction About Debt Ceiling

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  May 23, 2023 4:45 PM

Not only did President Joe Biden rebuff House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) attempts to negotiate on raising the debt ceiling for months, but House Democrats continue to make some rather bizarre and concerning remarks on the issue, days before we're supposedly headed for default. 

Speaking to CNN's Manu Raju on Tuesday morning, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who chairs the Progressive Caucus, predicted that "there would be a huge backlash," not just from "our entire House, you know, Democratic Caucus, certainly the progressives, but also, in the streets." 

Without missing a beat, Jayapal went on to continue to share her thoughts, including how "it's important we don't take steps back from the very strong agenda that the president himself shepherded and led over the last two years." The casual attitude of the congresswoman and the chair of a major caucus made her remarks all the more noteworthy.

Bonchie, in writing for our sister site at RedState, made some very poignant points about her remarks and the hypocrisy involved:

Do tell me, what exactly would a “huge backlash” in the “streets” look like? Would that include rioting “in the streets?” If not, then it wouldn’t be much of a backlash, right? I mean, it is coming up on left-wing riot season, so it wouldn’t surprise me if violence was on the table. Also, how does Jayapal know that such a backlash will occur? Is she connected with various groups that would carry out this backlash?

It doesn’t matter what her intention was, though, because I’ve been assured that such language is “stochastic terrorism” and is equal to a direct call to violence. Remember when Donald Trump suggested there would be protests over his indictment in Manhattan by DA Alvin Bragg, and MSNBC, CNN, and others insisted he was calling for violence? Or when the former president used the phrase “fight like hell,” and was likewise accused of inciting a riot?

Well, the funny thing about standards is that they apply to everyone, including Jayapal. Will the FBI be paying her a visit? Somehow, I doubt it, since she wears the magical armor known as being a member of the Democratic Party. That won’t stop the rest of us from noting the hypocrisy on display.

Jayapal's fellow progressive Democrats, including those also with their own leadership positions, have made some truly stunningly stupid remarks. Also on Tuesday, Democrats held their weekly press conference where they railed against McCarthy and Republicans, despite how they were the only ones so far to actually pass a plan to raise the debt ceiling. 

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Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, lamented the timeline. This comes after the president, the leader of his own party, is the one to blame for that timeline. 

While Aguilar complains about two specific House Republicans, it's also worth reminding that the plan passed by House Republicans contains particularly popular provisions, includes work requirements for benefits--which Biden himself proposed as a senator--and returning unspent COVID-19 relief funds. 

It also cannot be stressed enough that what Democrats are complaining about is a plan that returns to spending levels from fiscal year 2022, something Democrats at the time were all too happy to champion.

Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) tweeted out a particularly helpful graphic highlighting the timeline of Republicans taking action, and the president's inaction.

It's not just Aguilar. Last week, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) also complained to CNBC's "Squawk Box" about the timeline. Additionally, when challenged by the co-hosts for his inflammatory language about "MAGA Republicans" and claiming they were involved in "hostage-taking," Jeffries attempted to offer he wasn't referring to his colleagues as "terrorist[s]."

Nevertheless, Democrats continue to go with such language. Not only did Jayapal make the concerning remarks about "backlash" taking place "in the streets" should Democrats not get their way on the debt ceiling, but she also used the term and similar language with reckless abandon while tweeting and retweeting.

Jayapal also recently tweeted out from her campaign account an Axios report from last Friday, highlighting progressives' opposition to negotiations.