Republican Rep. Kevin Brady from Texas on Capitol Hill Andrew Harnik/AP Photo
Rep. Kevin Brady stated that Democrats should not rely on the support of the House GOP to lift debt ceiling.
"Unless they have a dialogue with Republicans...there will not be Republican support at the House."
The House GOP could follow McConnell's lead and oppose a debt ceiling rise.
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Top House Republican said that GOP lawmakers won't support raising the debt ceiling. Instead, they will place the responsibility on Democrats. This raises the possibility of a dangerous showdown that could sweep both chambers of Congress this autumn.
In a Monday interview, Kevin Brady, a ranking Republican in House Ways and Means said that Republicans are growing frustrated at Democrats' attempts to thwart them on a $1.9 billion stimulus bill using a legislative tactic called reconciliation. They are also ready to push through a multitrillion-dollar social spending plan by themselves.
Brady said that they had not had any conversation with them about spending, stimulus, or debt to date. He spoke to Insider Monday night.
Texas Republican said that unless Republicans have a dialogue with them, there will be no Republican support in the House. It's up to you, there are no conversations or working together. That's their responsibility unfortunately.
Brady's comments are a gauge of the GOP's position in the lower chamber regarding the debt ceiling. This is due to his influence as the architect of the 2017 Republican tax legislation. House Republicans could end up leading the Senate GOP under Mitch McConnell as many Republicans in the upper chamber have joined forces to oppose an increase in the debt ceiling.
Some Senate Republicans want spending cuts in return for their support. However, the GOP has supported increasing the debt ceiling multiple times during the Trump administration.
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The last debt limit suspension was lifted on July 30th, prompting Treasury Department to take "extraordinary steps" to pay the government's bills. The debt ceiling increase does not increase federal spending; it authorizes the US government only to pay its current debt.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, Treasury is capable of keeping the government afloat through October or November. However, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stated that it is becoming more difficult for Treasury to project when its emergency powers will run out.
The office of Kevin McCarthy, House Republican Leader, didn't respond when asked for comment. McCarthy signed a July letter calling for spending restraints from the House budget panel Republicans.
Certain bills can be passed quickly and easily through reconciliation. Republicans used the same process to pass a major corporate tax reduction under President Donald Trump. The GOP attempted to repeal and replace Obamacare Act in the same year, but failed without Democratic support.
Brady was not the only senior Republican who would go. Rep. Jason Smith, a Missouri Republican, was the top Republican on the House Budget Committee. He only stated that the Democratic congressional leaders had not responded to their letter.
Smith said that "we've heard crickets" to Insider on Tuesday. "The Democrats have failed as leaders, they are not even negotiating and communicating, so it seems they don't care much about the debt ceiling."
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