In a fiery social media exchange, conservative Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas didn’t hold back his criticism of the tentative debt deal struck between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden. Referring to the deal as a “turd-sandwich,” Roy took issue with McCarthy’s claim that “more than 95 percent of all those in the conference were very excited” about the agreement.
Roy’s response on Twitter was scathing: “1st – the leadership playbook is to line up cheerleading on phone calls to demonstrate ‘unity.’ 2nd, not 95% – I know of more no’s than that already. 3rd – they haven’t been educated yet on what a turd-sandwich this ‘deal’ is. They will be.”
The Texas lawmaker didn’t stop there. He also pushed back against the Republican argument that Democrats gained nothing from the deal. While the agreement would raise the debt ceiling for two years and implement spending caps to avoid a national default, Roy argued that it included “basically no cuts” as spending levels would be frozen. He criticized the deal for failing to eliminate clean energy tax incentives, neglecting work requirements for Medicaid recipients, and ignoring border security concerns that Roy believes are crucial leverage for action on the border. Additionally, he expressed discontent with the preservation of most of the funding for the IRS.
Roy’s dissenting voice joins a chorus of conservative Republicans who took to social media to voice their opposition to the deal. He made it clear that he intends to do everything possible to stop the bill from passing.
In response, McCarthy took to Twitter to defend the deal and express confidence in its passage, stating that it heralded “a new day in Congress.” McCarthy emphasized that Republicans were reshaping Washington by implementing a responsible debt limit that includes spending cuts, work requirements, and the retrieval of unspent COVID funds.
As the text for the bill is set to be released later in the day, its fate still hangs in the balance. It must pass both the House and the Senate to avert a national default.
The clash between Roy and McCarthy underscores the divisions within the Republican Party regarding the debt deal. While some GOP members are embracing it as a victory, others, like Roy, vehemently oppose it, viewing it as a missed opportunity to address key issues and implement substantial spending cuts.