WASHINGTON, May 28 (Prensa Latina) The US House of Commons Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries today denied statements made by Legislature President Kevin McCarthy about the lack of Democratic support for the debt ceiling deal.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, as I haven’t been able to see the actual text of the law. “All we’ve gotten is an agreement in principle,” Jeffries told CBS.
In the morning, McCarthy – a Republican – told Fox News that Jeffries said his fellow Democrats see “nothing” in his favor in the tentative agreement reached with the White House to prevent noncompliance.
Jeffries added that he had not spoken to McCarthy since yesterday afternoon before the announcement of the $1 trillion deal to raise the debt ceiling and avoid a sovereign default.
He also noted that proposals supported by conservative Republican members in the House of Representatives are inconsistent with Democrat values.
“But what I’ve always said, privately and publicly, was that the extreme negotiating position of Republicans and that the United States Default Act bill they passed on April 26 contained nothing consistent with Democratic or American values.” he said.
Dubbed “America’s Default Act” by the White House, the legislation was passed by the House Republican Party last month.
He proposed raising the debt ceiling while cutting spending, a move the White House criticized at the time.
McCarthy and Biden reached an agreement Saturday night, and with the text of the bill due to be released this Sunday, it faces an uphill battle in Congress as both Democrats and Republicans have voiced criticism of the deal.
McCarthy said he expects the House to vote on the bill Wednesday before it goes to the Senate.
rgh/adr