Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) delivered a clear message regarding the tentative debt ceiling deal reached Saturday by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and President Joe Biden.
The South Carolina lawmaker said, “Not only will I vote ‘no,’ I will not be intimidated by June 5” on Sunday during his appearance on Fox News.
BIDEN AND MCCARTHY’S TENTATIVE DEAL RAISES DEBT CEILING UNTIL 2025
Graham was highly critical of some of the spending measures included in the debt ceiling compromise — specifically, he highlighted what he called a “marginal” provision to reduce the number of IRS agents at the expense of the United States Navy.
“The Biden defense budget takes the Navy from 298 ships to 291 at a time when China is going to increase their navy by almost a third,” he claimed.
“We should raise the debt ceiling, but we should not cripple the military’s ability to defend the nation as a trade-off,” Graham added. “Spending below inflation is not fully funding the military. Cutting the size of the Navy only helps China,” the senator said.
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Graham now joins other GOP members of Congress who are pushing back against the legislation, which McCarthy and his team of negotiators described as a “transformational” compromise.
McCarthy said he plans to hold a vote on the legislation on Wednesday as efforts to whip up support from House Republicans remain ongoing.
