"New Dems Were the Key to Passing the Bipartisan Budget Agreement Through the House, Preventing the Catastrophic Default."
Washington Post: The Washington surprise: Centrists push back against fringes in debt deal
“I had said from the very beginning that this would be a vote from the middle out,” said Rep. Ann Kuster (D-N.H.), the Chair of the New Democrat Coalition, a group of almost 100 center-left House members. “I expect we will get to 218 with Republicans and Democrats. We’re a divided government. And frankly, let’s demonstrate to the American people that mature and pragmatic legislators will get the job done.”
Politico: White House to Dems: The debt deal could have been a LOT worse
The New Democrat Coalition — a 98-person voting bloc of centrists who are among the most likely to support an agreement — kept in close conversation with the White House’s legislative affairs office, including Terrell and liaison Ashley Jones, said the group’s chair, Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.). They’ve had “very, very close contact with the White House team from the very beginning for several weeks now right up until talking with them [saturday] night,” Kuster said. “We were listened to, we were heard and we helped to influence a better agreement and that’s a positive role for us to play.”
NBC News: A break-glass option, gumbo and a bike ride: How the debt ceiling deal got done
One of the first calls Biden made after the deal was announced was to Rep. Ann McLane Kuster, D-N.H., the chair of the 98-member New Democrat Coalition. As they two discussed selling the deal to fellow Democrats, Kuster said she focused not on what the White House got from the negotiations but rather how “we got everything out of the agreement” that Republicans had been pushing to enact.
CNN: Inside a debt ceiling standoff ‘far more dangerous than people will recognize’
After Rep. Annie Kuster, the chairwoman of the 99-member strong New Democrat Coalition, endorsed the bipartisan deal in a statement Monday, Biden called to thank her for support…“We talked about how we would work together to get the votes to get it passed,” Kuster told CNN. “We both agreed that this was not an ideal circumstance to be in, but once we went to work and really put our shoulder to the wheel that the outcome in terms of protecting the programs that are so important to our constituents was very positive.”
NPR: House approves the Biden-McCarthy debt ceiling bill as default deadline looms
New Hampshire Rep. Annie Kuster, who chairs the centrist New Democrat Coalition which provided 91 Democratic votes Wednesday, told NPR she anticipated the vote coming from "the middle out." "There are some bitter pills for different members and different constituencies in different districts, but overall, this is a must pass bill," she said.
Roll Call: Debt limit deal clears key hurdle; more land mines await
The leaders of the New Democrat Coalition, made up of about 100 self-described center-left members, announced its support for the bill Tuesday. “At the end of the day, you've got to step up and do the right thing,” New Democrat Chair Ann McLane Kuster, D-N.H., told MSNBC. “You know, you can either be part of the solution or part of the problem, and our members are choosing to be part of the solution.”
Punchbowl News: Can Republicans avoid a Rules disaster?
The centrist New Democrat Coalition is supporting the bill. Here’s Chair Annie Kuster (D-N.H.) on why: “As we carefully reviewed the provisions and carefully reviewed the language, we, on balance, feel that important programs were protected. “Most of what we care about was not taken up in this bill. This is a very narrow package. Overall, a small portion of the total budget. This budget, part of the negotiation is something that would be happening in the normal course at this time of year.”
Bloomberg: Biden, McCarthy Work Lawmakers to Pass Deal as US Default Looms
The New Democrat Coalition leadership team, a key group of moderate House Democrats, also endorsed the deal, with chair Annie Kuster of New Hampshire saying it would avoid “economic collapse”, while “preventing cuts to key programs.”
Newsweek: Kevin McCarthy May Need Democrats to Save Debt Deal From Republicans
Meanwhile, Representative Annie Kuster of New Hampshire, who chairs the center-left New Democrat Coalition, said in a statement on the coalition's website that her caucus' members are "encouraged" by the agreement. "We want to be clear––our Members are committed to upholding the full faith and credit of the United States. We must act responsibly to ensure that we prevent the catastrophic consequences of default and protect the needs of the most vulnerable in our society," she said Sunday.
Supercreator: McCarthy’s mixed bag
“There never has been and never will be anything ‘fiscally responsible’ about refusing to pay America’s bills,” New Dems Chair Annie Kuster said in a statement after the final vote. “Tonight, New Dems led a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers in rejecting the antics of some extreme Republicans and followed through on our duty to protect the full faith and credit of the United States.”
