(LibertySociety.com) – Over the last few weeks, the media has watched closely as President Joe Biden and lawmakers have attempted to reach a solution that would avoid a debt default. However, negotiations have proven challenging, with Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy only just reaching a deal this week. One of the main challenges was that Republicans wanted to make changes to spending — a concession Biden didn’t want to make.
One recent poll from CNN indicated that Americans are tired of the unlimited spending, with around 60 percent saying they are fine with a debt ceiling increase so long as spending is also cut. However, a media discussion about the poll led to some tension between a journalist and a lawmaker.
Representative Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., was confronted with the results of the new CNN poll when she appeared on the network with host Poppy Harlow. Jayapal said she believed most people would answer “yes” if simply asked whether the government should reduce spending. However, she also said that she thinks Americans would oppose spending cuts if they knew that the cuts would include things like “health care, education, you know, care for veterans,” instead of doing away with tax breaks for corporations.
Harlow responded to Rep. Jayapal’s claim, saying, “That’s not what the poll says.” Rep. Jayapal replied that she understood and said, “You know, tax cuts for the wealthiest are spending,” claiming that Americans want that type of spending to be cut. She also stressed the importance of “making the wealthiest pay their fair share” and indicated that this would help reduce the debt.
McCarthy, along with his team of negotiators, was meeting with Biden’s team to attempt to come to a compromise and prevent the United States from defaulting. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has previously warned that if action was not taken soon, a default could happen.
The debt limit deal was making its way through Congress this week, passing through the Senate on the evening of June 1.
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