Upvote
2 years ago
He's right.
the House's chief administrative officer to prepare to withhold pay for
members of Congress until the looming crisis over the debt ceiling is
resolved.
"If the American people and the American economy are suffering as a result
of congressional inaction, then Members of Congress should not be rewarded
with their pay," Spanberger wrote in a letter Friday to Catherine
Szpindor, who oversees day-to-day House operations as chief administrative
officer.
The Virginia Democrat criticized House GOP leaders for moving through
legislation that would raise the debt limit through March 2024 while
cutting roughly $4.5 trillion in spending, even though the plan is dead on
arrival in the Democratic-led Senate.
"As we quickly approach a default, Congress is failing to protect seniors,
servicemembers, Veterans, and all Americans who would be impacted by a
default," she wrote, adding that "hyper-partisanship in Congress is
jeopardizing the economic strength and security of our country, the
stability of global markets, and the world's faith in the credit of the
United States of America."
Spanberger requested Szpindor prepare to withhold pay for members of
Congress until it passes and President Biden signs a bill raising or
suspending the debt ceiling.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Congress this month that the U.S.
could default on its debt as soon as June 1 if Congress does not raise or
suspend the nation's borrowing limit by then, raising the stakes for Mr.
Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to reach a deal to address the iss
and stave off an economic crisis.
But the president and the GOP leader have been engaged in a stand-off over
how to avoid default, with Mr. Biden and congressional Democrats warning
they will only accept a "clean" bill that solely raises the nation's
borrowing authority. Republicans, however, are pushing to pair a debt-
limit increase with cuts to federal spending.
Mr. Biden met Tuesday with McCarthy, House Minority Leader Hakeem
Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell at the White House to discuss a path forward on a debt
ceiling deal, though the meeting failed to yield much progress.
"I didn't see any new movement," McCarthy told reporters outside the White
House.
The president, meanwhile, said the meeting was "productive," but
reiterated that he would not accept sweeping spending cuts.
A meeting between Mr. Biden and the congressional leaders set for Friday
was also postponed while staff-level discussions continue.
Though the House has passed a plan that lifts the debt ceiling, it has no
chance of becoming law. In addition to the opposition in the Senate, where
Democrats control 51 seats, the president has threatened to veto the plan.
The bill represented McCarthy's opening bid to Mr. Biden in negotiations
over a deal to address the debt limit and was a crucial victory for the
Republican leader in his efforts to keep together the various factions of
the GOP caucus.
<https://www.cbsnews.com/news/debt-ceiling-abigail-spanberger-congress-
pay-withhold/>