WASHINGTON — The House-passed debt limit and spending cut bill won’t survive bipartisan negotiations in full. But there are some potentially salvageable pieces of the GOP measure that could end up in a final deal.
While most lawmakers in either party aren’t ready to start talking about compromise, the few who are point to work requirements for benefit programs, discretionary spending caps and a fiscal commission as potential areas for bipartisan agreement.
The work requirements and spending caps in Republicans’ bill would likely need to be softened to win Democratic support, but both parties share some interest or prior voting records on such policies.
A fiscal commission to recommend deficit reduction strategies is not in the GOP bill, but centrists in both parties keep returning to this idea as low-hanging bipartisan fruit.
To be clear, the vast majority of Democrats are not even entertaining negotiations with Republicans on debt limit conditions, as they are still insisting on a “clean” bill.
“I’ve been here during a time where we’ve done a lot of really positive bipartisan things, but on this issue … default on the full faith and credit of the United States government is not something we should ever entertain,” Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said.
“We don’t have to give something,” Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md., added. “I have not seen the Republicans sincere on this. What they passed is ridiculous.”
Most House Republicans, meanwhile, say it’s up to Senate Democrats to pass something if they don’t want to accept the House bill.
“We just passed a bill. It’s not our job to modify it,” Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Wednesday after the House narrowly passed its bill, 217-215.
“The Senate could pass our bill or send us something that they have and we’ll go to conference. Otherwise, we’ve done our job,” McCarthy continued. “We’re the only ones to lift the debt limit to make sure this economy is not in jeopardy.”
At the same time, McCarthy is still leaving his door open to direct negotiations with President Joe Biden. He said he has “no parameters” on policy attachments they could consider as long as they curb spending or grow the economy.
“The only thing I would tell him is no clean debt ceiling is going to pass the House,” McCarthy said.
Senate Republicans, whose votes Democrats would need to break a filibuster on any debt limit bill in that chamber, say direct McCarthy-Biden negotiations are what should happen next.
While “ordinarily” bipartisan deals originate in the Senate because of its filibuster rules, this debt limit is an “exception,” Sen. John Cornyn said.
“The House is never going to take anything that’s cooked up in the Senate, because they have a thin majority and they would not get the votes,” the Texas Republican said.
