The United States will still be “careening towards bankruptcy” after President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) reached an agreement to raise the debt ceiling by $4 trillion, says Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fl.) in a new interview.
The 2024 presidential candidate appeared on “Fox & Friends” on Memorial Day and was asked about the potential fracture in the Republican Party following the White House and GOP leadership approving the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which some critics have dubbed the “Fiscal Irresponsibility Act.”
“Prior to this deal, our country was careening towards bankruptcy,” DeSantis said. “And after this deal, our country will still be careening towards bankruptcy.”
He noted that adding $4 trillion to the national debt over the next 18 months is an extension of the pandemic-era spending, and the federal government is “sticking with that” level of COVID spending. The deal, DeSantis said, is “totally inadequate” to bring the budget into a better position.
“They do these cycles to just get them through the next election,” he added. “And that’s ultimately one of the reasons why they continue to fail.”
The governor stated that the $1.2 trillion Florida economy maintains large budget surpluses with one of the country’s lowest debt per capita rates.
In the last fiscal year, Florida posted a record $21.8 billion surplus and reduced its debt by $1.3 billion, with a revenue increase of about 17 percent.
More Fiscal Conservative Backlash
There has been growing backlash from members of the GOP caucus surrounding the details of McCarthy’s plan.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) slammed the “fake conservatives” who have agreed to “fake spending cuts.”
“Deal will increase mandatory spending ~5%, increase military spending ~3%, and maintain current non-military discretionary spending at post-COVID levels. No real cuts to see here,” he posted on May 28. “Conservatives have been sold out once again!”
Fake conservatives agree to fake spending cuts. Deal will increase mandatory spending ~5%, increase military spending ~3%, and maintain current non-military discretionary spending at post-COVID levels. No real cuts to see here.
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) May 28, 2023
Conservatives have been sold out once again!
By Andrew Moran
