House Democrats used a procedural move to circumvent Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Republican leaders to speed up a debt ceiling vote as the US faces default on June 1.
As the discharge petition requires 218 signatures, which is a majority in the House, for action to be taken, Democrats will need the support of some moderate Republicans in the House for their strategy to succeed.
Democrat’s Delicate Plan To Raise The Debt Ceiling
McCarthy and his leadership team are certain to exert maximum pressure on Republican members to vote against the measure, but only five Republicans would need to defy the speaker for the measure to advance.
This delicate plan, which has been in the works for months, would allow a vote on raising the debt ceiling as soon as early June.
California Democrat Mark DeSaulnier introduced a placeholder bill that could be amended to raise the debt ceiling, and the Democrats set in motion a process that would take several weeks to bring it to a vote.
Potential Timeline For The Vote On Debt Ceiling
DeSaulnier introduced his placeholder bill in January so that it could mature until Tuesday’s vote. Democrats are using a workaround to discharge a debate rule, which is much quicker than trying to discharge the bill itself.
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries announced the move in a letter to his colleagues: “Congress must urgently pass legislation to increase the borrowing limit in order to avoid plunging the nation into recession, driving up unemployment, and crashing the stock market.”
House Democrats are working to ensure that we have all possible options to avoid a default.
On May 9, McCarthy will discuss the debt ceiling with President Joe Biden and other congressional leaders.
Biden continues to insist on a debt increase with no strings attached, while McCarthy is demanding that the $4.8 trillion in budget cuts passed by the House GOP last week be implemented.
Thomas Wickham, a former parliamentarian who is now with the US Chamber of Commerce, predicted that the Democrats’ action would force a vote on the debt ceiling no sooner than June 6, and possibly even later than the default date. This date could be moved up if the House meets for additional days this month to address the debt ceiling, or if a group of 218 members insists on more session days.
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