Debt ceiling tests Speaker McCarthy as he rides breezily through high-wire act of his career
Associated PressWASHINGTON — One morning during the debt ceiling crisis, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy climbed onto his mountain bike and took a ride along the National Mall, marveling at the monuments. The White House refused initially to engage with McCarthy over the debt ceiling, insisting Congress must simply do its job, raise the nation’s debt limit and skip the political brinksmanship. Powered by a hard-right flank, McCarthy was determined to extract federal spending cuts to programs many Americans rely on in exchange for the votes in Congress needed to raise the nation’s debt limit. Conservative Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., warned in a tweet Saturday, before the deal was announced, that if the speaker brought back a “clean” debt ceiling increase, meaning one lacking the party priorities, “it’s war.” But even if conservatives grow frustrated with McCarthy, he still has one important voice in his corner: former President Donald Trump.