House Republican leaders worked into the early morning hours to tweak broad legislation pairing deep spending cuts with a pledge to raise the debt ceiling. The adjustments were made to entice conservative holdouts demanding stricter work requirements for welfare recipients and preserving tax credits for ethanol production. It is still unclear if the late additions to the bill will convince enough Republicans to vote for it. The bill stands no chance in the Democrat-held Senate, nor would it be signed into law by President Biden. Nevertheless, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is pushing to bring the bill to the House floor today.
Casey Burgat, director of the Legislative Affairs master’s program at the GW Graduate School of Political Management, can provide insight on the negotiations taking place within the House Republican caucus and place this bill in the context of the greater debt ceiling debate roiling Capitol Hill and the White House.
Joseph Cordes is a professor of economics, public policy, and public administration at GW. Professor Cordes is an expert on budgetary policy who can delve into the details of the debt ceiling battle and clarify the complex process of putting together a federal budget.
If you would like to schedule an interview with a GW expert, please contact GW Media Relations at [email protected].