众议院议长凯文·麦卡锡周三公布了一项期待已久的共和党提案，以提高债务上限并实施联邦支出削减。
麦卡锡在众议院发言时概述了所谓的“限制、储蓄、增长法案”的内容，该法案旨在将债务上限提高到明年，并提供超过4.5万亿美元的储蓄。
“美国人民选举了一个分裂的政府，而我们的政府是一个神圣的妥协，”麦卡锡说。“这就是为什么众议院、参议院和白宫现在应该就负责任地提高债务上限进行谈判。”
这项立法将收回未花完的新冠肺炎资金，阻止联邦学生贷款的取消，撤销数十亿美元用于国内税收服务根据《通货膨胀削减法案》的规定，终止绿色税收抵免，并为联邦援助项目制定更严格的工作要求。麦卡锡表示，这还将把政府支出限制在通胀前的2022财年水平，并将支出增幅限制在每年1%。
乔·拜登总统对这项提议反应冷淡会见麦卡锡讨论二月份的债务限额。他们的对峙在最近几周愈演愈烈夏季截止日期快到了提高债务上限或承担经济灾难性违约的风险。
最近几天，众议院议长试图向拜登和民主党人施加压力，要求他们进行谈判。拜登和其他政党领导人迄今拒绝这样做，因为他们推动一个“干净”的债务限额增加，不与联邦支出削减挂钩。
麦卡锡周三表示:“拜登总统将前往马里兰州发表演讲，而不是坐下来解决债务上限问题。”“他在给美国的债务南部边境待遇:忽略它，希望它消失。”
拜登在马里兰州的活动中回击了这位共和党领导人，将目标对准麦卡锡的债务上限评论周一在纽约证券交易所交付。
“他们说他们会违约，除非我同意他们所有这些古怪的想法。违约比完全不负责任更糟糕，”拜登说。
拜登警告说，违约“会摧毁经济。你认为谁会最受伤?你们，勤劳的人们，中产阶级，我成长的社区——不是超级富豪或有权有势的人，而是劳动人民。”
这立法文本麦卡锡讲话后不久，320页的众议院共和党法案就公布了。
麦卡锡说，众议院最早将于下周就该计划进行投票。虽然还不清楚他是否会获得通过该法案所需的218票，但他对其前景表示乐观。
“我们会到达那里，”他告诉记者。“我从不放弃。我们会抓到他们的。”
McCarthy unveils long-awaited GOP plan to raise debt limit, cut federal spending
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday unveiled a long-awaited GOP proposal to lift the debt limit and enact federal spending cuts.
Speaking on the House floor, McCarthy outlined what's included in the so-called Limit, Save, Grow Act, designed to raise the debt limit into next year and also provide more than $4.5 trillion in savings.
"The American people have elected a divided government, and our government is a divine compromise," McCarthy said. "That is why the House, the Senate and the White House should be negotiating a responsible debt limit increase right now."
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy speaks in New York City, April 17, 2023.
Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters, FILE
The legislation would claw back unspent COVID-19 money, block federal student loan cancellation, rescindbillions of dollars for the Internal Revenue Serviceprovided by the Inflation Reduction Act, end green tax credits and put in place stricter work requirements for federal aid programs. It would also limit government spending to pre-inflationary, fiscal year 2022 levels and limit spending increases to 1% per year, according to McCarthy.
President Joe Biden, who gave the proposal a chilly reception, lastmet with McCarthyto discuss the debt limit in February. Their standoff has intensified in recent weeks as lawmakers stare down afast-approaching summer deadlineto lift the debt ceiling or risk an economically catastrophic default.
In recent days, the House speaker has tried to amp up pressure on Biden and Democrats to negotiate. Biden and other party leaders have so far declined to do so as they push for a "clean" debt limit increase not tied to federal spending cuts.
"President Biden is skipping town to deliver a speech in Maryland, rather than sitting down to address the debt ceiling," McCarthy said on Wednesday. "He's giving America's debt the Southern border treatment: ignore it and hope that it goes away."
Biden shot back at the Republican leader during his Maryland event, taking aim at McCarthy's debt ceiling commentsdelivered Monday at the New York Stock Exchange.
"They say they're going to default unless I agree to all these wacko notions they have. Default would be worse than totally irresponsible," Biden said.
Biden warned a default "would destroy this economy. And who do you think will hurt the most? You, hardworking people, the middle-class, neighborhoods I got raised in -- not the super wealthy or the powerful, but working folks."
Thelegislative textof the House GOP bill, which clocks in at 320 pages, was released shortly after McCarthy's remarks.
McCarthy said the chamber will vote as early as next week on the plan. While it's not yet clear he'll have the 218 votes necessary to pass it, he expressed optimism about its prospects.
"We're going to get there," he told reporters. "I never give up. We'll get them."
