Conservative House Republicans knock debt ceiling deal 

Conservative House Republicans are already voicing criticism about the agreement in principle to cap spending and raise the debt ceiling announced late Saturday as the White House and GOP leadership work to avoid a default on the nation’s debt.  

Rep. Dan Bishop (R) tweeted a vomiting emoji to express his thoughts on the proposed deal, noting that RINOS, or Republicans in Name Only, were “congratulating [Speaker Kevin] McCarthy [(R-Calif.)] for getting almost zippo in exchange for $4T debt ceiling hike.” 

“Actually, it’s so bad they won’t give a figure for the debt ceiling hike … only that it’s suspended til Q1 2025. Our bill was a year less,” Bishop added.  

Additionally, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) tweeted: “I do not like the ‘deal’ as I understand it from the cheerleading so far… I will have more to follow once I see more details.” 

Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), meanwhile, said that he is “appalled by the debt ceiling surrender” McCarthy outlined Saturday evening.  

“The bottom line is that the U.S. will have $35 trillion of debt in January, 2025. That is completely unacceptable,” Buck tweeted.  

President Biden and McCarthy announced that the two sides came to an agreement in principle late Saturday, and the release of the legislative text could come as early as Sunday. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned last week that without congressional action, the country could default on June 5, a deadline that McCarthy says Congress will meet.  

McCarthy said he expects the House to hold a vote as soon as Wednesday, when the bill likely will face challenges from conservative GOP members.  

The conservative House Freedom Caucus laid out its spending cap demands earlier this year, with the members saying they wanted to cap overall discretionary spending at fiscal 2022 levels for 10 years while allowing for 1 percent growth per year.  

“We’ve got a serious proposal. We urge our colleagues on the Republican side and the Democrat side to come along. If you don’t like what we’ve offered – bless you, that’s fine. What have you got to offer?” Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry (R-Pa.) said at the time.  

Former President Trump at a CNN town hall earlier this month urged Republicans to allow the nation to default on its debt unless Biden agreed to “massive” cuts. Senate Republicans disavowed his comments, with many saying that they could not allow the U.S. to default.