Democrats tank ‘laughable’ Trump-backed spending deal with the help of conservatives
The IndependentSign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But congressional Democrats called the plan that Trump’s billionaire deputy touted hours earlier “laughable.” House Democrats were heard chanting “hell no” as they met to review it on Thursday. “It’s disgusting that they would try to use this as a tool to increase the debt limit for two years, which we know will ultimately result in tax credits for the uber wealthy on the backs of our working people.” open image in gallery House Speaker Mike Johnson is steering Republicans towards a stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown Congressman Robert Garcia, a Democrat from California, specifically criticized lifting the debt limit. Tennessee Republican congressman Tim Burchett told The Independent that the debt ceiling is “an arbitrary thing.” “And reality is, I don’t know why they ever put a debt ceiling on anything,” he said. I mean, they’re prominent people, and they have very big checkbooks.” open image in gallery Donald Trump, Elon Musk and JD Vance called on Congress to reject a bipartisan stopgap funding measure, forcing lawmakers to scramble ahead of a government shutdown The new proposal would have stripped out provisions to criminalize the distribution of pornographic deepfakes, and cut funding for treatments of sick cell disease, pediatric cancer research, and breast and cervical cancer detection, among other provisions.