Friend,
This week, President Biden and Republicans reached an agreement on the debt ceiling. But that deal is not a genuine bipartisan agreement; it concedes to the unreasonable demands of Republicans who held the debt ceiling hostage for their own agenda.
Democrats should have abolished the debt ceiling and the filibuster when we had Congressional majorities. We should have used the 14th Amendment to achieve a clean debt ceiling increase. But here we are.
If the GOP cared about the deficit, they would not pass tax cuts for the rich and cripple the ability of the IRS to go after tax cheats. They would agree to raise revenue and cut excessive defense contractor spending instead.
The McCarthy agreement puts hundreds of thousands of SNAP recipients up to 54 years old at risk by implementing new “work requirements” designed to deny benefits to some of our most vulnerable. It resumes student loan payments that have burdened tens of millions of Americans and reinvigorates the cycle of crushing debt that has stunted economic growth. It fast-tracks the disastrous Mountain Valley Pipeline, locking us into fossil fuel dependency as the climate crisis worsens.
As a political calculation, the McCarthy agreement allows America to pay its bills for the time being. But I believe we need to do better. The concessions made in this deal do nothing but harm hardworking Americans while giving wealthy donors, corporations, and big-money interests a pass.
This is not about politics, it’s about people. That’s why I voted no on the McCarthy agreement. We need to set a precedent of the Treasury paying bills that Congress has authorized and take the issue to the courts so that we never have a manufactured default crisis again.
I will continue to fight for the policies Americans deserve, because when working people thrive, everyone benefits.
Onward,
Ro
