The debt ceiling and budget cuts package passed the U.S. House Wednesday night and now goes to the Senate. President Biden negotiated the deal with Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy to avert a U.S. default crisis. Despite disappointment from hard-right Republicans that budget cuts don't go far enough and progressives who are unhappy with concessions from the White House, the deal was approved on a bipartisan vote. The bill restricts spending for the next two years, raises the debt ceiling through January 2025 and changes policies, including new work requirements for older Americans receiving food aid and adjustments to permitting for energy projects.
New York Congressman Pat Ryan, a Democrat from the 18th District, voted to approve the measure and spoke with WAMC while heading back from Washington Thursday morning.
Ryan: There were two main imperatives. We needed to prevent an unprecedented, what would have been a catastrophic default, which we've never done in the country's history. And two, we had to protect veterans, seniors, kids, vulnerable people who a group of far-right extremists had worked and really pushed to cut, cruel cuts that would have really hurt them at a time when we need to be helping people, providing relief to people. So I was proud to join, in a bipartisan way, with colleagues, and both prevent catastrophic the fall and also protect a whole lot of Americans that needed us to fight to protect them in the face of these threats.
Levulis: One of the matters that this deal addresses, work requirements for certain recipients of SNAP and similar aid programs. Are you okay with those work requirements that are included in this deal?
This is an area where we fought really hard. I'm frustrated that this was even on the table. I don't think it should have been, I think we need to be giving more food assistance to more Americans. So we fought very hard on this issue on expanding food access and food support and SNAP. Unfortunately, the far-right forces that were trying to do much more aggressive cuts, were able to get some through. I do think it's important for folks to know on the other side of this, though, President Biden and House Democrats pushed really hard to add a bunch of categories of folks for expanded SNAP coverage, including veterans, including homeless and folks who are housing insecure, and also former foster children up to the age of 24. So we should never be in a situation where we're having to pit different groups of vulnerable people against each other. But that's where the other side was pushing hard here. I think we did the best we could. And the CBO analysis, Congressional Budget Office analysis, actually shows that more people and that will be covered. But again, to be clear, I want to continue to push to expand coverage as we come into the Farm Bill renewal this year.
You mentioned this was a tough compromise, tough negotiations, both sides said that. This deal raises the debt ceiling until January 2025. Are we going to be back in the same situation in less than two years from now?
Well, I think there's always going to be a running dialogue, as I think there should be and debate about what is the right balance of overall spending? And then also, what is the right balance of expenditures and revenues. One of my big frustrations and I'm going to keep fighting and pushing on this point is we put on the table that ‘hey, look, if you want to reduce the deficit, what we need to be getting rid of is the tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and big corporations that pay zero in corporate tax.’ And unfortunately, McCarthy and far-right extremists wouldn't even put that on the table. But there's 55 plus big corporations, the biggest corporations in the country that pay zero in tax like Amazon, in corporate tax. There's still in place in our tax code a deduction if you have a yacht, a deduction if you have a private plane. I mean, if we want to be serious about this, those are the things we need to cut not veterans, not seniors and Medicare and Social Security and kids that are hungry.
Now 46 Democrats voted against this package, including progressives who were unsatisfied with the concessions President Biden made in the negotiations with Speaker McCarthy. Are you satisfied with the President's and the White House's approach here?
Well, I voted yes because the other option was what would have been a catastrophic default. We would have seen 401ks, pensions and retirements hugely impacted. Massive, catastrophic, potentially catastrophic economic consequences, not just in the U.S. but around the world. So these are always weighty and hard decisions. But I'm a pragmatist. You have the two options in front of you. And to me, it was very clear, we were able to both prevent default and really protect against the vast majority of the far-right attacks on veterans and seniors and kids and so I think that was a good outcome. I credit President Biden and his team they negotiated and fought really hard, and I think delivered the best possible outcome for the American people.
What's your confidence level of the package passing now in the Senate?
Well, hearing from and talking to colleagues there, I think we're on a good path to do so. I know, you know, our fellow New Yorker, Leader Schumer is working hard and understands, in the same way, the existential consequences here, and they're planning to work through the weekend if necessary. So I'm optimistic, I think looking at the House results should be encouraging. We had a very broad bipartisan coalition. In fact, there were more House Democrats that voted for this than House Republicans to get it over the line and prevent catastrophic default. So I think that bodes well for getting 60 votes in the Senate. And I think, folks have to understand this shouldn't be partisan at this point. This is an American responsibility and duty that we all have to prevent an unprecedented and catastrophic default at the end of the day. That is the big imperative.
We mentioned that this deal raises the debt ceiling until January 2025. What do you make of arguments from some such as Democratic Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren that the federal debt ceiling should be eliminated outright?
Yeah, this is something that I'm certainly open to hearing the case. But my view, I mean, I've managed budgets as a CEO of businesses I've started, I had to balance a budget as county executive of Ulster County. We have to be always fiscally responsible and thoughtful. I do think that yes, there's often contentious debates, but those are healthy, small d, democratic debates about our priorities. Is the balance of expenditures and revenues, right? And I do think that, just like we all do in our families, and our personal lives and our businesses having this debate of do we want to up are sort of how much we're borrowing essentially, is an important exercise for our democracy. So I would be inclined to preserve it. But certainly I'm always open to hearing from colleagues with new ideas.
Congressman Marc Molinaro, a Republican from the neighboring 19th District, also voted to approve the deal. He held a press conference ahead of Wednesday’s vote saying the measure achieves a number of goals.
“There was compromise and negotiation,” Molinaro said. “And now there is a bipartisan agreement to move this nation forward to, again, ensure that we take steps to bend the rate of spending that is unsustainable, ensure that we do not default on America's debts, and at the same time to protect Medicare, Social Security, veterans’ benefits and confront the massive increase in costs that to many Americans, families, farmers and small businesses across upstate New York face.”
