Global Courant 2023-04-26 19:53:11
WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders said they hope to pass Wednesday to raise the debt limit after making a series of overnight changes to win holdouts.
“We can vote on this as early as today,” Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., who controls the floor schedule, told reporters after a closed meeting of House Republicans Wednesday morning. “We want to get this done as quickly as possible, but more importantly, we want President Biden to finally get involved in this process.”
The vote is a major test for Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who cannot lose more than four GOP votes in his narrow majority before the bill collapses, with Democrats expected to unite against it.
McCarthy faced early skepticism from members in swing districts, who have been slowly getting on board, as well as holdouts representing the Midwest who are concerned about a reduction in ethanol funding and conservatives who want changes such as stricter job requirements for recipients of safety net programs.
Even if it gets through the House, Senate Democrats have said the bill is dead on arrival and the White House has said Biden would veto it.
This is an evolving story. Check back later for updates.
