House Republicans make progress on passing debt ceiling plan

Representative Ralph Norman of South Carolina said that he believes the Republican debt ceiling plan is a "step in the right direction."

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California and the rest of the Republican House revealed the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023.

The bill would raise the debt limit by $1.5 trillion, which would most likely extend the limit through March 2024.

The legislation's goal is to cut federal spending by $130 billion in the next year.

The GOP measure has been widely applauded by Senate conservatives and even some Democrats.

Democrat Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Ralph Norman, and other members of the House Freedom Caucus, still have reservations about the bill, but admit something has to be done.

Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, said he thinks the bill needs "revisions in the language" before he can vote for it.

"It is a step in the right direction," said Ralph Norman. "If the president had his way, it’d be a clean debt limit increase, which is insane for putting this country in the bind that it’s already in. We got definite spending cuts. We got work requirements for any of those and basically receive a government paycheck. We’ve got taken out the IRS, defunded the FBI building, a lot of tax credits, which government should not be picking winners and losers. I’m excited about it. We’ve got to still do some work on it, but it’s a step in the right direction."

Republicans have a slim majority in the House, and the GOP has been able to unite and pass contentious legislation despite hurdles.