McCarthy's debt-ceiling bill tests unity of U.S. House Republicans
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives could as early as Wednesday vote on a bill to sharply cut spending for a decade in exchange for a short-term hike in the debt ceiling, though it was unclear if it had enough support in the Republican majority to pass.
In the early morning hours on Wednesday, the House Rules Committee approved terms of debate for the bill on a partisan vote, a last step before sending it to the full House chamber, which could debate it either later in the day or later this week.
The panel's action came after a prolonged Tuesday meeting that spilled into Wednesday. It was interrupted by an extended recess to allow Republicans to work out last-minute changes to the bill and thus improve chances of passage in the Republican-controlled House.
The result was that Republicans removed a provision that would have ended a tax credit for biofuels that was part of Democratic President Joe Biden's climate change initiatives in the 2022 "Inflation Reduction Act." Several House Republicans, particularly from Midwest states, had rebelled against that provision.
Bending to the far-right wing of the party, Republicans also accelerated some new, tougher work requirements for receiving Medicaid healthcare benefits for the poor.
"The new plan is even more draconian...even more mean. Kicking poor people off of healthcare wasn't enough. They now want to do it faster," said Representative Jim McGovern, the senior Democrat on the committee.