House Democrats have been working for months on a secret long-term strategy to bypass Kevin McCarthy and raise the debt limit.
But the 45-page bill, which was introduced without co-sponsors in January by Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, a California representative, has been plotting for months to quietly ease its way through Congress for a secret, previously unreported, measure. To avoid a devastating federal deficit if debt ceiling talks are delayed.
June 1, 2010 With a default likely, Democrats on Tuesday began taking steps to deploy a secret weapon they’ve been keeping in reserve. President Biden has begun the process of trying to force a debt-limit increase bill on the floor of a debt-limit increase bill that could be passed by Republican leaders who refuse to raise the ceiling unless they agree on spending cuts and policy changes.
The problem with using a discharge petition to raise the debt limit is that it requires a majority to bring the petition to the floor of the House. At this point, there is no evidence that any House Republicans are willing to cross over and force Democrats to vote on clean debt limit legislation for the House floor.
But, with Democrats putting the pieces in place, they’ll have a ready mechanism to pass a clean debt ceiling bill if Republicans start abandoning McCarthy.
Republicans will continue to talk a big game for the next few weeks, but as the pressure mounts over the next few weeks, McCarthy’s caucus may not be able to hold together and expect a fractured Democrat.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a member of the White House Press Pool and Congressional Correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform activities.
Awards and professional memberships
Member of the Association of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association
