House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says he expects there will be Democratic support for the debt ceiling deal

Washington – House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries expects Democrats to vote an agreement between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden to raise the debt ceiling, but would not say what support from his caucus he expected.

“I expect there will be Democratic support once we have the opportunity to be fully briefed by the White House,” the Democratic leader told ‘Face the Nation’ on Sunday. “But I’m not going to predict what those numbers might ultimately look like.”

Jeffries said he can guarantee the US won’t default on its debt.

Negotiators for Mr. Biden and Republican leaders in Congress reached a tentative agreement late Saturday night as the United States nears debt default, which could melt the global economy.

McCarthy told Fox News earlier on Sunday that he expects a majority of Republicans to vote for the bill to raise the debt ceiling, though he said “one thing that Hakeem m ‘said’ was ‘there’s nothing in the bill for them. There’s nothing in the bill for the Democrats.’ Jeffries told “Face the Nation” he had “no idea what he was talking about” because he was unable to “review the current legislative text”.

Jeffries said he understands at least 150 Republicans will vote for the deal. That means at least 67 Democrats are needed to pass the bill in the House.

When asked if he could get a majority of Democrats, Jeffries said he was looking forward to the White House briefing on Democrats on Sunday afternoon.

“We can have a solid discussion,” he said.

The leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, told CNN on Sunday that Jeffries should be worried about defections from the party’s left flank. But Jeffries said the agreement takes “incredibly significant steps forward” in terms of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans’ protections.

Republican Rep. French Hill of Arkansas told “Face the Nation” he’s “confident” there will be at least 150 GOP votes.

“I believe we’ll get those votes on Wednesday because we’re limiting the rate of growth, we’re cutting spending, we’re clawing back wasteful spending and decisions, we’re stopping wasteful spending, and we’re growing our economy through regulatory relief and by encouraging more people to come back to work,” he said.

McCarthy said he expects the text of the bill to be released on Sunday and the House to vote on Wednesday.

Responding to criticism from members of the House Freedom Caucus, who said they would not support the deal, Hill urged them to read the bill first.

“I’m one of those who wanted bigger cuts,” Hill said. “But I also recognize that we only control the House of Representatives. We have to get it through the Senate.”