Gonna be interesting…..
Democrats are NOT gonna be amenable to this….
House Republicans….
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday said work requirements for public assistance programs are a nonnegotiable in debt ceiling talks, laying out one of his first hard stances ahead of an afternoon meeting with President Biden and other top congressional leaders.
Asked whether work requirements were a “red line” for him in debt ceiling negotiations, McCarthy said: “Yes, it is.”
McCarthy said that he is standing firm on work requirements for the programs, despite House Democrats being against the idea.
“When you’re talking about work requirements, remember what we’re talking about: Able-bodied people with no dependents,” McCarthy told reporters. “It’s 20 hours.”
Biden had seemed to open the door over the weekend to beefing up work requirements for public assistance programs….
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On Monday, however, the White House apparently sought to clean up the comment.
“The House Republican wish list would put a million older adults at risk of losing their food assistance and going hungry,” Biden tweeted Monday. “Rather than push Americans into poverty, we should reduce the deficit by making sure the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share in taxes.”…..
House Democrats….
The head of the House Democrats said this week that tougher work requirements for social benefits won’t fly with members of his caucus, setting the stage for a drag-out fight with GOP leaders who are insisting on those provisions as a condition of raising the debt ceiling.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Monday night told members of the Democrats’ Steering and Policy Committee that “work requirements are a nonstarter” as bipartisan negotiators seek a deal to prevent a government default, according to a spokesperson….
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The president is scheduled to meet Tuesday afternoon at the White House with Jeffries, McCarthy and the top Senate leaders on a path forward…
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