Call To Action: GOP Unites On Spending And Budget Reforms, Tell Them To Hang Tough

A meeting Friday between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden to “negotiate” an increase in the debt ceiling was postponed to give both sides more time to negotiate at the staff level.

Naturally, the Leftwing establishment media continues to promote various plans and points upon which Republicans should "compromise" but no one at the New York Times or Washington Post seems to have any ideas about how the federal government can escape the present ruinous cycle of deficit spending, borrowing from Communist China, and then spending and borrowing more.

Speaker McCarthy’s hand in these negotiations has been strengthened thanks in large measure to the efforts of principled limited government constitutional conservative Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah. After Sen. Lee began circulating a letter to the Senate’s Democrat Leader, 43 Senate Republicans joined a united House Republican Conference in demanding spending and budget reforms before Congress approves an increase in the debt ceiling.

Due to Sen. Lee’s efforts to corral the fractious Senate GOP, Senate Republicans are firmly behind the debt bill that the Kevin McCarthy-led House recently passed, giving McCarthy leverage in his future meetings with President Biden.

Speaking on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo,” the Utah Republican said: “As Kevin McCarthy, speaker of the House, meets with the White House, it’s imperative that he arrive in a position of negotiating power.”

To put McCarthy in a more powerful position Senator Lee led the following letter to Senate Democrat Leader, New York Senator Charles Schumer:

Dear Leader Schumer,

The Senate Republican conference is united behind the House Republican conference in support of spending cuts and structural budget reform as a starting point for negotiations on the debt ceiling.

Our economy is in free fall due to unsustainable fiscal policies. This trajectory must be addressed with fiscal reforms. Moreover, recent Treasury projections have reinforced the urgency of addressing the debt ceiling. The House has taken a responsible first step in coming to the table with their proposals. It is imperative that the president now do the same.

As such, we will not be voting for cloture on any bill that raises the debt ceiling without substantive spending and budget reforms.

The letter is signed by Senators Mike Lee, John Barrasso, Marsha Blackburn, John Boozman, Mike Braun, Ted Budd, Shelley Moore Capito, Bill Cassidy, Katie Britt, John Cornyn, Tom Cotton, Mike Crapo, Ted Cruz, Kevin Cramer, Steve Daines, Joni Ernst, Deb Fischer, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Grassley, Bill Hagerty, John Hoeven, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Ron Johnson, James Lankford, Cynthia Lummis, Roger Marshall, Mitch McConnell, Jerry Moran, Markwayne Mullin, Pete Ricketts, James Risch, Marco Rubio, Mike Rounds, Tim Scott, Rick Scott, Eric Schmitt, Dan Sullivan, John Thune, Thom Tillis, Tommy Tuberville, J.D. Vance, Roger Wicker, and Todd Young.

The letter is missing the usual GOP suspects, such as Mitt Romney and Susan Collins, but Lee noted that “we’ve got 43 Republicans who have a signed a letter,” including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, enough to block Democratic legislation on the debt ceiling. Lee said two other Republicans supported the letter but wouldn’t sign “for strategic reasons.”

The letter, which was sent to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, said Senate Republicans backed House Republicans in supporting “spending cuts and structural budget reform as a starting point for negotiations on the debt ceiling.”

Bartiromo asked Lee if he was confident that McConnell and other Senate Republicans would stand firm. Lee said he expected they would.

“Even if we lost one or two here or there, we’d still be fine,” Lee said, “and I don’t think we’re going to the lose any of them.”

At some point tax collections and spending must be harmonized. Joe Biden, Congressional Democrats and their allies in the media claim the debate over the debt ceiling is a “game of chicken,” when in reality it is more akin to “riding the tiger.” They are throwing up a disingenuous smokescreen about default to fool voters into thinking the present “spend – borrow from the Red Chinese – spend even more” system can go on forever.

The Capitol Switchboard is (202-224-3121), call today and tell your Senators and Representative that you demand real spending and budget reforms and the GOP plan passed by the House, and backed by 43 Republican Senators led by Mike Lee, shouldn’t be compromised away.

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