Axios reported that it has learnt about a growing discord among Democratic lawmakers over the forthcoming debt ceiling raise on April 30. At the heart of the internal row is House Speaker McCarthy's borrowing limit plan.
On April 26, House Republicans passed a bill to raise the nation's borrowing authority by $1.5 trillion, reduce spending levels for most recent federal programs and limit the growth of federal spending to 1% annually.
The US press has already claimed that the measure, proposed by House Speaker McCarthy, "is dead on arrival" in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
However, McCarthy's initiative prompted some House Democrats to think about a potential compromise. Nearly a dozen House Democrats stated publicly that they believe Joe Biden and McCarthy should sit and work out a compromise.
Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine), Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) and Marie Pérez (D-Wash.) wrote a letter to the president and the House speaker, arguing that, "It is time to end the partisan standoff and brinkmanship before it rattles markets, damages our economy, and hurts the American people."
In addition, the House Problem Solvers Caucus, which is made up of 31 Republicans and 32 Democrats, offered a bipartisan framework to raise the debt ceiling and cut the deficit last week.
Still, Senate Democrats don't seem pleased with their House party fellows. Neither does the US president appear willing to discuss the debt ceiling issue with the GOP. Last week, McCarthy said he hadn't heard from Biden since they met in early February. At least one House Democrat has recently received a call from Senate Democratic leadership that demanded that House Dems tamp down their advocacy for talks, as per the US media outlet.
Upper chamber Democrats are standing by Biden's refusal to accept anything less than a clean debt ceiling increase. According to them, the debt limit is non-negotiable. Likewise, they vehemently oppose any budget cuts.
Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) appears to be the only Democratic senator interested in talks over McCarthy's plan: "While I do not agree with everything proposed, it remains the only bill moving through Congress that would prevent default and that cannot be ignored," Manchin stated on Thursday.
Meanwhile, dissent is continuing to grow within the Democratic camp. According to the US press, several House Democratic dissenters joined McCarthy's Middle Eastern trip this week and will most likely jump at the opportunity to discuss the debt ceiling issue with the speaker.
The debt ceiling drama is currently gaining momentum given Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's dark prediction that the government would be able to pay its bills only through early June, and that after that the US default on debt would trigger an "economic catastrophe."