Jay Weber Show transcript 6-1-23 6:40am
As predicted, Kevin McCarthy, as the speaker of the house, had enough votes to pass the debt ceiling deal that neither side of the aisle seems to really like.
Both sides needed to compromise-mean that both sides lost their ‘far left’ and ‘far right’ wings, and the votes were found in the middle. I explained the deal yesterday as -yet- being terrible for the American people in the sense that it continues this level of insane federal spending that we have been on since the worst of the covid years-
And yet- when democrats control both the White House and the senate-and republicans weren’t expected to be able to get-any- concessions before raising the debt ceiling so we avoid default-
Through that prism- it’s a win. There are some substantive concessions Kevin McCarthy and Republicans got-and some ‘not so substantive’ or ‘lasting’ ones-but I said going into this: given how heavily the deck was stacked against the house Republicans going into this? It’s a win.
We should view this as an outnumbered group of marines, none-the-less, taking the hill and accomplishing their mission- even if they took some casualties and didn’t win the war.
The mission- the hill- was taken.
This is how I'd liken this debt ceiling showdown-in the hopes that it sets up the GOP for a better bargaining position and more significant spending cuts and ‘wins’ as we move into the actual budgeting process.
And it’s why I reject all the ‘hot takes’ from the fiscal conservatives in the house, afterward. They can be angry at the situation-but it’s dumb to be angry at Kevin McCarthy for getting ‘something’ out of nothing.
In fact- I have to admit to being surprised at some of the rhetoric-and how some members of the house caucus took their anger and criticism to an extreme level.
I don’t know if they were just playing to the cameras, or what, but- some of it was not-at-all proportional to the details of this debt deal.
I’m not sure what they expected, when they all should have known the situation-going in.
They had to know that-at best- Kevin McCarthy was going to get some relatively minor concessions from the democrats-given that they control the senate and the white house.
Well, that’s what this compromise bill does.
This was never going to be a great fiscal reform bill. It was never going to be a ‘major budget correction’.
It was never going to ‘end the war’ and get us back to pre-covid spending. Those are all battles for the looming budget wars.
This was- looking for a win: trying to take the high ground...Before the major battle begins. That’s all this was, and these grumpy GOP house members should have known that.
Still-I'd highlight a few other small ‘wins’ today, contained within this package.
One of them reinstates the normal student loan payments that joe Biden and the democrats have delayed and suspended for years now- blaming covid.
The devil is in the details: not all student loan payments resume as normal. Biden’s regime also changed how some loans would be viewed- turning them into, essentially, free college grants. This compromise agreement essentially codifies those changes into effect, too, which is annoying...
It also doesn’t ban Bidens’ team from ordering other pauses in the future-
And given what a political liability it is going to be for Biden and the dems to have to admit that these payments are going to resume...They might just decide to ignore the issue and let them quietly remain -as is-
Or they could try to suspend them again right before the 2024 election as a way to try to buy votes. We’ll have to see.
But at least-after years of delay and a massive cost to federal taxpayers- most student loan payments will finally resume.
Then there are the smaller wins on food stamps and welfare.
One thing the GOP did cave on-is they allowed for work requirement exemptions for veterans and the homeless...
Well...Come on. Those are the groups who could most benefit from stable work...And the overall dignity of work and having a purpose.
I don’t necessarily object to the exemption for veterans, as much as i object to the exemption for the homeless.
Really? If they’re homeless- how are they getting food stamps? If they have a PO box or a permanent address …Then they have what they need to apply for work and make contact with employers.
I don’t see why the homeless should be exempted: after all, the best way out of ‘homelessness’ is through work, isn’t it?
But see- ever since these work requirements were put on food stamps as part of the 1996 welfare reform act-in the Gingrich/Clinton era- the left has been eroding and watering down the requirements... And finding every excuse to ignore them-
And so- even small improvements like these in the debt ceiling bill- matter. Our welfare programs have got to be a way ‘back to work’. They need to be written and administered in a way that encourages work and puts people on a path to higher earnings, better jobs, and climbing their way out of poverty.
And food stamps- especially- should not be a way of life. Every other taxpayer in America shouldn’t have to pay for your food...For years or decades on end.
And this, of course, is a major difference in how the two parties view these government programs: the leftists -want- as many Americans as possible beholden to them for a government check.
The left-wants- a culture of wide govt dependency.
The right wants to honor the culture of work and independence and self-dependence that this country was founded on...And should still strive for.
And that’s why even small wins like this aren’t so small. Especially when the left controls the senate and the White House-and is making every effort to create a culture of dependency that will more easily allow them to take totalitarian control of this country- and manipulate its people 50 different ways.
For heaven’s sake: if the government is feeding you- can you think of any way you’d be more dependent on them?
If hundreds of millions of Americans are literally relying on their government overlords-for food?
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