House Republicans are preparing to vote on a debt ceiling and spending bill this week, but several lawmakers have expressed reservations.
They could prevent House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from obtaining the necessary 218 votes.
While some representatives have been meeting with leadership to discuss their requirements for the bill to secure their "yes" vote, others have said they are likely an outright "no" regardless of the changes made to the spending bill. Given their razor-thin majority in the lower chamber, the GOP can only afford to lose four votes.
On Tuesday night, the Rules Committee met to make several alterations to the debt limit proposal, something they said they were not going to do, and adjourned until Wednesday afternoon to consider voting the bill out of committee and send it to the House floor. However, without the votes, it is unlikely McCarthy will put it on the agenda until he is confident he can pass it comfortably.
Here are three GOP lawmakers to watch when the spending bill hits the floor for a vote.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), a vocal opponent against raising the debt ceiling, has been focused on work requirements. He proposed that Medicaid recipients should work 30 hours per week, compared to McCarthy's debt ceiling bill, which requires them to work 20 hours per week. Gaetz also wants to see the work requirements enacted in 2024, not 2025, as proposed by McCarthy's bill.
However, in a win for Gaetz later Tuesday night, McCarthy and other House GOP leaders agreed to move the work requirements to next year. Whether or not this will secure Gaetz's vote is still unknown, as the representative is known to hold out on votes until the very last moment.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), known for taking a stand against her party on several matters, is leaning against voting for the debt limit bill. She is concerned the GOP proposal will not help balance the budget within the next ten years and is worried about the bill repealing some clean energy provisions, which could hurt South Carolina's solar farms.
"This isn't a serious plan to tackle the spending and the debt problems that we have today. I'm a no right now," Mace said. "If it's just a messaging bill, why aren't we putting the best message forward to show how responsible Republicans can be when given the opportunity?"
Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) is one of several Republicans taking a hard-line approach to raising the debt ceiling. He affirmed he is not supportive of raising the debt ceiling without cutting spending.
"Raising the debt ceiling isn't enough we must cut spending, claw back Biden's wish list, and pass policies that will allow our economy to grow," Rosendale tweeted on Monday.
Rosendale's opposition to raising the debt ceiling could be a method to garner support for the 2024 Senate race. While Rosendale has not announced he is running for the Senate, there is rising speculation that the Montana representative may make a bid for the seat.
McCarthy estimates his plan will save $4.5 trillion over the next decade. The proposal will raise the debt limit by $1.5 trillion or until March 31, 2024, whichever is first, in exchange for those cuts. The government hit the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling in January and is projected to have until between June and August, which will affect funding.
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