On Tuesday (May 30), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries claimed that “MAGA Republicans” are trying to “crash” the U.S. economy through debt ceiling negotiations because it’s in their political interest to do so.
Amid ongoing debate to raise the debt ceiling between Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill, Jeffries explained to reporters that Democrats are “focused” on avoiding a “catastrophic default.”
He added that Democrats were trying to ensure “extreme MAGA Republicans” wouldn’t be able to “crash the economy and trigger a job-killing recession,” which he insisted Republicans believe is “in their political interests in 2024.”
When asked whether Democrats were willing to help conservatives vote out House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA.) from his role as Speaker if such a vote is held, Jeffries described the move as “incredibly irresponsible, is unpatriotic, and it’s un-American.”
The New York Democrat then praised President Joe Biden, thanking him for his “leadership and making sure that he protects the U.S. economy.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been trying to get Republican support for a deal with Biden, which is strongly opposed by conservatives in the House, including Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), who said the deal doesn’t include significant cuts and would violate an agreement between McCarthy and party members to secure his role as House Speaker.
Taking to Twitter, Roy suggested the agreement was “not a good deal,” noting it includes $4 trillion to service debt, “a two year spending freeze and no serious substantive policy reforms.”
Roy’s post references the two-year debt limit increase reached by Biden and McCarthy.
McCarthy revealed the House would vote on the agreement on Wednesday (May 31), giving the Senate enough time to consider and vote on it before the U.S. officially defaults on June 5.
