Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Sunday that the tense debt limit negotiations between the White House and Congress are just the latest example of the Republican Party being “addicted to chaos.”
President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) reached an “agreement in principle” over the weekend on legislation to raise the federal debt ceiling and avoid a federal bankruptcy, after weeks of negotiations with little public progress.
While most of the details of the bill have not yet been released, the agreement reportedly includes a two-year debt ceiling hike; setting a 1% cap on non-defence spending for fiscal year 2025; fully funded medical care for veterans; and increased work demands for able-bodied adults who receive some government assistance programs.
“I think it’s important to note that we are still in the process of learning the details of this deal. And I reserve my judgment until I read it,” Murphy said on MSNBC’s Inside With Jen Psaki. “But to be clear, I want to underscore something you said at the beginning, which is that tremendous damage has already been done to the economy and to this country.”
“I just got back from overseas and every international newscast for the last week has started with stories about this Republican-decreed chaos in the United States,” said the Democrat, who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate External Relations Committee. Continuation.
“This Republican Party is addicted to chaos – the entire Trump presidency on January 6th and now this threat of default and destruction of the American economy.” It’s just terrible for the country and for our reputation abroad, for our ability to to attract investment.”
McCarthy said the House of Representatives will vote on the bill on Wednesday, giving the Senate some time to consider it before June 5. Then Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the US could default if lawmakers don’t solve the debt crisis. Economists say the country could face economic chaos and a probable recession if the Treasury defaults on its debt.
“One of the reasons I’ve been hesitant to get involved in these negotiations, I think, is because there’s a large segment of the Republican Party that actually wants us to default,” Murphy said, adding that such Republicans “mostly sit in the House of Representatives, but some in the Senate.”
“And you can tell that the Freedom Caucus is already mobilizing its troops against this deal. I’m concerned there may still not be enough Republicans in the House to push through this deal,” he continued. “So yes, there are a lot more responsible voices in the Republican Party in the Senate, but it can’t get to us if McCarthy can’t keep his faction going.”
Last week, right-wing Rep. Matt Gaetz (Florida) compared the debt limit talks to a hostage negotiation, reportedly saying that Conservative lawmakers “don’t feel we should be negotiating with our hostage.” Asked what Republicans are putting on the table to incentivize Democrats to agree to a deal, House Treasury Department Chairman Patrick McHenry (RN.C.) said: “The debt ceiling increase.”