House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) could not say if he had the votes to pass a bill raising the debt ceiling while enacting massive spending cuts and forcing Medicaid recipients to work for health care.
During an interview on Fox News, host Maria Bartiromo told McCarthy that President Joe Biden had called the Republican bill "wacko."
"Did you threaten to allow the nation to default?" Bartiromo asked.
"No, we're the only ones in Washington that are actually putting a responsible plan out that will raise the debt limit," McCarthy claimed. "Then, when we talk about work requirements, Senator Biden voted for them."
"So does he consider his own party wacko and MAGA as well?" he added.
"Do you feel that you have the votes?" Bartiromo wondered while noting "a handful of Republicans" opposed the bill. "McCarthy has only a five-seat majority, so you need almost every vote."
"Do you have the votes to pass this in the House this upcoming week?" she pressed.
"We do have a very small majority, only five seats, one of the smallest we've ever had," he said. "But I cannot imagine someone in our conference that would want to go along with Biden's reckless spending."
In the end, McCarthy predicted the bill would pass.
"We will hold a vote this week, and we will pass it, and we will send it to the Senate," he said.
