Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says She Will Vote Against US Debt Ceiling Deal – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic congresswoman from New York, indicated she would vote against the debt-limit agreement on Wednesday night, as the June 5 deadline approaches.
The Hill reported on Tuesday that the office of one of the most prominent progressives in the US House announced she will not back the contentious agreement to extend the debt ceiling, which was agreed by Republicans under the speaker, Kevin McCarthy, and the Biden White House.
Ocasio-Cortez, widely known as AOC, had previously signaled that she would not support the deal. “My red line has already been surpassed,” Ocasio-Cortez said last week. “I mean, where do we start? [No] clean debt ceiling. Work requirements. Cuts to programs. I would never – I would never – vote for that.”
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Some Republicans with far-right views have expressed their opposition to the agreement, arguing that it lacks sufficient measures to reduce expenditure. To ensure the bill’s passage in the House on Wednesday night, support from Democrats will likely be necessary.
However, progressive backing is divided due to concerns raised by certain legislators regarding the inclusion of work requirements in welfare programs. “Some number of progressives, including myself, lean no,” Greg Casar, the Progressive caucus whip and a Democrat from Texas, told Axios.
The progressive caucus chair, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, said on a Tuesday press call the bill contained measures progressives were “seriously concerned about.” “There will be real harmful impacts for poor people and working people,” Jayapal said, noting that several members had “serious concerns about the environmental justice implications of this bill.”
Other progressives emphasized the need to avoid a default. “You have to deal with reality in politics,” the Tennessee representative Steve Cohen, a progressive caucus member, told Axios, adding that concerns about the bill’s contents are “totally secondary to keeping the world’s economy on track.”
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The Sunday compromise suspends debt-limit talks until January 1, 2025, and increases the US debt limit from $31.4tn. It also introduces modifications to federal assistance programs, such as implementing work requirements for food stamp eligibility. Additionally, unutilized Covid-19 aid will be returned to the government. Some Democrats have voiced criticism towards Biden for engaging in negotiations with Republicans amidst the risk of default.
