Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) sure has remained bold on the debt ceiling. Last week, the chair of the House Progressive Caucus warned of "a huge backlash" not just among the "entire House, you know, Democratic Caucus," especially progressives, but "in the streets." During Sunday's edition of "State of the Union" on CNN, Jayapal warned Democrats do "have to worry" about getting support from progressives when it comes to the deal struck between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
Rep. Pramila Jayapal: There will be "a huge backlash...in the streets" if the White House agrees to spending cuts. pic.twitter.com/W0kgsN0EAz
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 23, 2023
Jayapal did not commit to voting one way or another when discussing debt ceiling negotiations with host Jake Tapper, since she had not seen the text, though she had no problem lambasting Republican colleagues throughout the segment. This particularly applied to work requirements for SNAP benefits, though multiple polls have shown that a majority of Americans support such a proposal. Further, as McCarthy and other House Republicans have reminded, such a proposal is one that Biden advocated for as a senator.
The congresswoman herself was all too happy to promote her minority view shared during the segment.
Work requirements are bad policy. They don’t reduce spending, they create administrative burdens, and they simply don’t work.
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) May 28, 2023
The fact that this is a GOP priority is cruel, and every American should know what they’re trying to do to poor and working families. pic.twitter.com/XjD1ufe6jA
While Jayapal claimed that Republicans "didn't get what they wanted," McCarthy on his own Sunday show appearance told host Shannon Bream on "Fox News Sunday" that "right now the Democrats are very upset." He also shared that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) had told him "there’s nothing in the bill for them. There’s not one thing in the bill for Democrats," though that's something Jeffries disputed while on CBS News' "Face the Nation."
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It's worth repeating that Democrats don't appear to have gotten what they wanted either. They're not just hypocritical on spending levels, but they have a desire to for radical moves beyond the fine details of what goes into spending plans.
When discussing with Tapper why Democrats didn't just raise the debt ceiling last year, when they controlled all of Congress, Jayapal reminded that that's what the Progressive Caucus had urged. When prompted by Tapper, she offered it was because of a lack of support in the Senate that they didn't, specifically in that they "are also governed by a couple of conservative Democrats and/or independents in the Senate who refuse to take the actions that we need to take."
The congresswoman then took the opportunity to push to elect more Senate Democrats.
"That's why we need a bigger majority in the Senate of people who are actually going to continue to do what the country needs and what our constitutional obligation is, because, listen, the debt ceiling--and we have explained this ad nauseam, but I just think it's important to say it again," she offered.
Jayapal also spoke to wanting "to give the authority to the Treasury secretary to be able to just raise the debt ceiling in accordance with whatever Congress has passed," making clear "it should just be raised automatically," as she went on to declare "we should not allow people to continue to take us hostage."
The debt ceiling is about paying our previous bills, and this entire charade has shown that our country’s obligations should never be in doubt.
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) May 28, 2023
We should suspend the debt ceiling permanently and make sure extreme MAGA Republicans can never hold our economy hostage again. pic.twitter.com/zW4qbj7xmM
Today, the United States is closer to default than we have ever been for one reason only: Republicans' economic hostage taking.
— Pramila Jayapal (@PramilaJayapal) May 27, 2023
As one can see in the tweets above, as well as in others. Jayapal does not shy away from blaming and referring to Republican colleagues--who control the chamber--in incendiary terms. A favorite talking point has been to refer to the opposite party as "extreme MAGA Republicans" and even claim they want to "hold our economy hostage," with Jayapal emphasizing as much during the segment with Tapper.
Jayapal might be right about one thing, which is that Biden and top Democrats do "have to worry." If the president isn't scared about what Democrats in disarray is doing to him and the rest of the party, he should be.
The House will vote on Wednesday, to give members time to read the bill's text.
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