House Speaker Kevin McCarthy acknowledged that the debt-ceiling deal negotiated with the White House is likely to face some Republican resistance while touting the accord as a shift in spending policy that bears his party’s stamp.
“So maybe it doesn’t do everything for everyone, but this is a step in the right direction that no one thought we would be at today,” McCarthy said on “Fox News Sunday,” the morning after negotiators unveiled the deal.
“I think you’re going to get a majority of Republicans voting for this bill” as well as some Democrats, he said.
President Joe Biden and McCarthy, who sealed the agreement during a 90-minute phone call late Saturday, must now shepherd the framework to final legislative passage over the objections of hardliners in both parties.
There’s little margin for error, with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warning that an extension must be finalized by June 5 to avoid a historic default.
“It’s a new day in Congress,” McCarthy said.