Jason Smith says debt ceiling deal 'not perfect,' but has his support

Southeast Missouri congressman Jason Smith said the debt ceiling agreement reached by White House and congressional negotiators over Memorial Day weekend is "not perfect", but represents "steps in the right direction".

Smith told Fox News anchor John Roberts on Tuesday, May 30, the deal "puts spending caps in place and puts in work requirements addressing the nation's labor shortage. Plus, it rescinds unobligated COVID dollars of almost $29 billion."

Smith, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said the pact accomplishes an important GOP objective.

"The (Biden) administration was asking for a blank check debt limit increase. Even when Republicans controlled the White House, the House and the Senate, we didn't get any kind of progress like we did this," said Smith, who has represented 28 counties in Southern and Southeast Missouri since 2013.

Members of the House Freedom Caucus and other Republicans are voicing unhappiness with the deal because they wanted deeper spending cuts. Smith offered up a metaphor.

Jason Smith

Jason Smith

"Of course, I'd like to have the whole piece of cake, but we can't get the whole piece. Joe Biden controls the White House, and Democrats control the Senate. I think if you're looking for conservatism and common sense, let's make steps in the right direction," Smith told Roberts.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen last week warned that without an agreement to raise the nation's debt ceiling by Monday, June 5, the U.S. could default on at least some of its financial obligations, including making Social Security payments on time.

www.Americanpress.com reported a default would mean the federal government would no longer have enough of a "financial cushion" to pay all of its bills, having exhausted the extraordinary measures it has been employing since January to stretch existing funds.

Smith's staff said the congressman will manage debate on the House floor Wednesday, May 31, in anticipation of a vote on the deal before week's end.

"This is a bipartisan agreement. There should be Republicans and Democrats who will vote for final passage of this bill. That is why you negotiate with the White House. I think we're in a good place," Smith said.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., testifies as the House Rules Committee prepared the debt limit bill, The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, for a vote on the floor, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. He is joined at right by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kan., and Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., testifies as the House Rules Committee prepared the debt limit bill, The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, for a vote on the floor, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. He is joined at right by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kan., and Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)