Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich sparred with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Tuesday on the White House’s attacks on House Republicans’ debt ceiling proposal.
House Republicans introduced their 320-page debt ceiling proposal that intends to raise the budget by $1.5 trillion by cutting federal spending by approximately $130 billion in federal spending this fiscal year. The White House has labeled the proposal, dubbed the “Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023,” a “reckless attempt to extract extreme concessions” and have vowed to veto the legislation.
“Forty-three Republican senators signed onto a letter opposing raising the debt ceiling without budget reforms and 217 members in the House voted for that bill to raise the debt limit with cuts to spending,” Heinrich began. “Does the White House consider all of those members to be dangerous MAGA Republican extremists?”
“Do they understand what the cuts that they’re voting for is going to do?” Jean-Pierre asked. “That’s the question. I mean, Republicans in Congress, in the House specifically, voted for cuts that’s going to hurt American families. I mean, we can’t say this enough. Twenty-two percent cuts to veterans, healthcare, schools. That’s what they voted for … this is their constituents. This is what they voted for.”
“And those constituents that they’re voting on behalf of have said they are concerned about their retirements, about the effects of inflation and those members represent more than half the country in the House,” Heinrich argued. “That’s the majority of districts in the country that they’re voting on behalf of those constituents who are expressing concern about where the economy is, so I guess, how can the White House continue to use messaging calling this the ‘Default on America Act’ and paint this legislation in such a way without having a conversation about the budget when you’ve got half the country saying that they want that conversation?” (RELATED: Biden To Meet Face-To-Face With McCarthy Over Debt Ceiling)
Jean-Pierre claimed Republicans are “threatening” a default by attempting to make President Joe Biden agree to their spending cuts and accused them of wanting to “hold the American economy hostage.” Heinrich said their legislation would raise the debt limit to avoid default by June 1.
Heinrich said McCarthy has “ruled out” any cuts to veterans’ benefits, senior entitlement programs and other programs that the White House has argued will experience a slash in funding if the legislation passes. Heinrich then quoted Republican Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, who said there needs to be a conversation.
“Is he [Romney] a MAGA Republican extremist?” Heinrich asked.
“What I’m saying is, House Republicans have been very clear. They voted on a bill that’s going to cut programs that are very important to American families. Law enforcement, cutting programs to law enforcement, cutting program to veteran care, cutting program to our school system. That’s what Republicans have voted on. So, those are extreme. Those are very extreme. These are things that the American people don’t want.”
The legislation includes provisions aiming to roll back the Biden administration’s actions on student loans, cut COVID-19 funds and target the president’s aim to add more agents to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and “green giveaways,” according to The Hill.