McCarthy on deal: ‘Step in the right direction’

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy acknowledged Sunday that not everyone gets exactly what they want in the debt limit agreement the White House and GOP negotiators reached, but said it’s “a step in the right direction” toward limiting government spending.

“Maybe it doesn’t do everything for everyone, but this is a step in the right direction no one thought we would be at today,” McCarthy said during an interview on “Fox News Sunday.”

McCarthy touted the agreement in principle, which negotiators reached Saturday night after months of back-and-forth and several days of tense negotiations between President Joe Biden and McCarthy and their proxies.

Despite some swift pushback from House GOP members like Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), McCarthy claimed Sunday that more than 95% of the conference was “very excited” about the deal.

On a call with House Republicans Saturday, McCarthy called the deal a “big win,” claiming Democrats didn’t get “one thing” that they wanted out of the negotiations.

McCarthy previously said he expected the bill would be finalized Sunday and put up for a vote in the House on Wednesday, less than a week ahead of the June 5 deadline for default.