Kevin McCarthy Faces Debt-limit Dilemma in Bid for Speaker as House GOP Hardliners Ratchet Up Demands

December 12, 2022

Kevin McCarthy Faces Debt-limit Dilemma in Bid for Speaker as House GOP Hardliners Ratchet Up Demands

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy is facing pressure from House Republicans to detail how he will handle the issue of raising the debt limit before they will commit to supporting him for House Speaker.

A growing number of Republicans have signaled a willingness to force the country to default and set off a global economic crisis unless Democrats and President Biden accept changes to earned benefit programs including Social Security and Medicare.

Some moderate Republicans have expressed uneasiness over using the debt ceiling as a bargaining chip, risking not only a default but also the political blame. However, seniors’ advocates warn that older Americans cannot rely on moderate Republicans to protect them from cuts to Social Security and Medicare in this situation.

“Republicans are going to try to force cuts to the Social Security and Medicare benefits we’ve earned,“ said Joseph Peters, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance. “We must remain vigilant and work with the elected officials who are our allies so that does not happen.”