McCarthy’s mixed bag
The House speaker can breathe a sigh of relief that he won’t share blame for a first-ever default, but the fact he needed Democrats to cover for defections from his own conference wasn’t a good look.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries had a clear message heading into Wednesday evening’s vote on the budget bill to raise the debt limit: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy needed to produce at least 150 House Republican votes on a deal he negotiated with President Joe Biden and that House Democrats would do their part to avoid a default on US debt for the first time in the nation’s history.
McCarthy fell one vote short in the final 314-117 count, as 165 House Democrats outnumbered the 149 members of his conference. But any personal shortcomings pale in comparison to the economic catastrophe that a default would have wrought.
The final vote was much faster and less dramatic than the afternoon procedural vote that preceded it. Informal whip counts had around 20 House Republicans voting against the rule that set the terms and conditions for the floor debate, a number four times the margin of McCarthy’s majority.
Not to mention, the majority is usually responsible for passing the rule no matter how its members may vote on the underlying bill. In the end, 29 House Republicans rejected the rule, which left it hanging in the balance for several minutes until Jeffries raised his green voting card — a signal for the 52 Democrats, who had been milling about the House floor, to spring into action and save the day and ultimately the economy.
“Extreme MAGA Republicans voted against House Republican leadership on a bill that they negotiated. That is stunning to me,” Jeffries said after the rule passed by a vote of 241-187. “And once again House Democrats to the rescue to avoid a dangerous default and help House Republicans get legislation over the finish line.”
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said that McCarthy being unable to pass a rule without Democrats is indicative of how weak a leader he is.
And Eric Swalwell, the California congressman whom McCarthy kicked off the Intelligence Committee at the beginning of his speakership, called the episode embarrassing.
“He struck a deal with President Biden and couldn’t even deliver the votes on his own side to ensure we could vote later tonight to pay America’s bills,” he said. “Dem votes had to do it for him. He may have title of Speaker but he doesn’t have the job.”
But the ribbing of McCarthy’s imprecise whip count started hours before a vote was cast though.
“When his predecessor negotiated an agreement on the debt ceiling, she guaranteed the votes from the vast majority of her caucus,” House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark said on Wednesday morning. “Now, nobody is mistaking Speaker McCarthy for [former Speaker Nancy] Pelosi. But he should be able to do what he said he was going to do and produce 150 votes from this majority. That should be on the table.”
Clark said the fact that it was still an open question ahead of last night’s votes and that he depended on Democrats to avert disaster is a reflection of how far to the right the modern Republican Party has shifted.
Drew Hammill, former deputy chief of staff to Speaker Pelosi, told Supercreator that his previous boss was such a prolific vote counter because she knew her purpose, sought consensus among her members, and knew that delivering results was why she had the gavel.
“She always delivered the votes because her members knew she always negotiated the best deal possible,” he said. “You cannot compare such an historic, courageous figure to the current occupant of the Speaker’s chair, who will be nothing more than a footnote if he’s lucky.”
McCarthy was all smiles last Wednesday night as he took a victory lap during a press conference where he claimed to be unbothered by the bumpy process as long as he achieved his desired result. After all, he managed to secure the support of a majority of his majority, an important threshold on a major bill like the budget agreement.
He also promised to pursue all the conservative priorities that were dropped from the Biden budget deal in future legislation. But first he’s got some fences to mend within his rank-and-file who feel McCarthy sold out their values and some colleagues on the other side of the aisle to thank for bailing him out on the House floor.
Related reading: “GOP congressman admits debt ceiling fight was about helping 2024 Republican nominee” by Prem Thacker at TNR
👋🏾 Hi, hey, hello! It’s Thursday, June 1, 2023, International Children’s Day and the first day of Pride Month. You’re reading Supercreator Daily, the premier guide to the politicians, power brokers, and policies shaping the American creator experience.
Progressives oppose on principle: House progressives, led by Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, voted against the bill in significant numbers.
Ahead of the final vote, the CPC didn’t formally whip members for or against the bill. The writing was on the wall last week though when an overwhelming majority of the 100-plus-member group expressed opposition to the reported elements of the deal as it was still being negotiated.
The CPC released statements from 19 members on their votes.
Many members said they understood their constitutional responsibility to raise the debt limit and acknowledged the White House negotiators made a compelling case that the deal could have been much worse.
But at the same time, they couldn’t do so at the expense of new work requirements for food aid and cash assistance programs, climate provisions that promote climate injustice, and spending caps that will harm their already underfunded communities.
Conscience votes are easier to cast when members know they won’t impact party leadership’s desired result. In fact, it was always expected that the votes to pass the budget bill would come from members whose politics veer closer to the middle rather than the margins.
91 of 98 members of the New Democrat Coalition, comprised of center-left House Democrats, voted yes on the bill, a result of days of individual member outreach to rally support. (Democratic Reps. Angie Craig of Minnesota and Rep. Deborah Ross of North Carolina planned to vote for the bill but were out due to medical issues. 44 of the 52 votes on the rule came from New Dems too.)
“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.”
It’s also worth noting the sensitivity House progressives have toward comparisons to their conservative counterparts in the Freedom Caucus, who also often draw bright ideological red lines that are often hard to reconcile with the responsibilities of governing.
Despite how the roll call vote on the bill reads, Jayapal maintains that the CPC is the “caucus of yes” and points to the fact that progressives called on Democrats to raise the debt limit before Republicans took control of the House in January, were the first members to sign the discharge petition for a clean increase to the debt limit, and were a driving force behind the landmark legislation President Biden signed into law during the last two years.
“I just want to categorically reject the comparison between the extreme left and extreme right,” she said on a press call Tuesday afternoon. “The extreme MAGA Republicans in the Freedom Caucus, including insurrectionists, who supported a free and fair election, will vote not because the deal doesn’t go far enough for them. It doesn’t hurt enough poor people. It doesn’t take enough of the IRS funding to go after wealthy tax cheats and the biggest corporations. There is simply no comparing the Freedom Caucus’s position to any position that we might take.”
Jeffries said the progressive resistance to the budget deal wouldn’t split the caucus.
“The conference is not fractured at all. Unity is different from unanimity,” he said referring to a maxim popularized by House Democratic Assistant Leader and Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina. “We will continue to be unified. And we look forward to taking on some additional fights for the American people, including stopping the extreme MAGA Republicans from trying to jam another tax giveaway for the wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected down the throats of the American people. (More on that below.)
WH messaging kudos: Supercreator reported last week on the frustration among House Democrats who disagreed with the White House’s preference for private dealmaking as opposed to public politicking. But the administration applied a full-court press once the agreement, including a brief speech from President Biden, press calls with reporters, and policy briefings with members on the merits of the bill.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said the six deep-dive briefings and two-and-a-half-hour Wednesday caucus meeting the White House negotiators attended provided the information members needed to make the best decision that was best for them and their districts.
Jeffries added that the communication between the White House and House Democrats over the 72 hours leading up to the votes was clear, consistent, and comprehensive.
“As a result of the efforts of the Biden administration, we’re going to be able to make sure here in the House and in the Senate that America does not default and that our economy does not crash and we will all live to fight another day in fighting for the people.”
Senate on the clock: Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer took the first procedural step last night to bring the legislation to the Senate floor.
Schumer told reporters on Wednesday that he wants to pass it as soon as possible and few things motivate senators to summon a sense of urgency like the threat of working on the weekend.
But speedy consideration of bills in the Senate requires the cooperation of all senators and two — Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah — have publicly indicated that they’ll request amendment votes before they’ll allow a vote to end debate and final passage.
Schumer and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell will work with their senators and each other to reach a time agreement to fast-track the votes. McConnell told reporters he wanted the deal passed by Friday. Both leaders have urged during floor speeches this week against what they see as the inevitable passage of the bill.
The amendments are expected to fail though because they fall outside the terms of the negotiated agreement between Biden and McCarthy, and if passed, would force the House to vote on the amended legislation, which would push the US past the X date.
“We cannot send anything back to the House, plain and simple,” he said. “We must avoid default.”
Tax turbulence ahead: Now that the House has done its part, they’ll head home for the final days of what had been a scheduled weeklong recess.
When they return, Democrats expect Republicans to mark up a bill this summer on a tax bill that they say will add $3 trillion to the deficit.
“This is not about fiscal sanity,” Aguilar said. “This is about them each and every step of the way, protecting their billionaire friends. But House Democrats stand poised to be the adults in the room.”
TODAY IN POLITICS
All times Eastern
5:30 a.m. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden greeted families and staff of the US embassy in Amman, Jordan, and met with military families in the region.
6:15 a.m. The first lady met with Jordanian women business leaders, including entrepreneurs, at the US embassy in Amman.
7:40 a.m. President Biden will give the commencement address at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
9:45 a.m. Dr. Biden will arrive at the wedding of Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II and Rawja Khalid Al Seif at Zahran Palace in Amman, Jordan.
10 a.m. The Senate is in and will vote at 12:15 p.m. to pass a resolution to overturn President Biden’s student debt relief program.
1:15 p.m. Vice President Kamala Harris will convene a press call on addressing racial bias in home appraisals.
1:30 p.m. The first lady will attend the wedding reception of Hussein and Al Seif at Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman, Jordan.
4:40 p.m. The president will depart Colorado Springs and arrive back at the White House at 7:50 p.m.
The House is out.
THEY DID THAT
Democratic Reps. Judy Chu and Grace Napolitano of California and Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii introduced legislation to reduce mental health stigma in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community.
Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Republican Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana introduced a new bill to boost mental health care access for servicemembers.
The View co-host Ana Navarro’s mom had a change of heart toward Vice President Harris.
Former President Barack Obama shared his favorite way to unwind after work.
83-year-old actor Al Pacino got his 29-year-old girlfriend pregnant.
Kim Cattrall reprised her role as Samantha Jones for the upcoming season of And Just Like That…
READ ALL ABOUT IT
“How to stop neo-nazis from crashing pride month” by Melissa Gira Grant
“The thorny politics of location sharing” by Rebecca Jennings
“Is student debt forgiveness happening or what?” by Shirin Ali
“Why on earth are we still building aircraft carriers” by Timothy Noah
“The one thing holding back electric vehicles in America” by Patrick George
“Four women on realizing their diamond rings were fake” by Alyssa Shelasky
“How TikTok beat the ban (for now)” by Andrew Rice
“The New York Times’ Elizabeth Holmes profile Is causing drama in the newsroom: ‘What the hell happened here?’” by Charlotte Klein
Thanks for reading! Send me scoops, comments, and questions — or say hi: michael@supercreator.news. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up for free.