Key GOP lawmaker says McCarthy debt deal gives Biden the 'keys to the vault' of spending

A key GOP lawmaker added to the powerful House Rules Committee this year is lambasting the debt ceiling deal struck by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, saying it trims too little of the budget and gives the Biden administration "the keys to the vault" of spending.

"We thought he was gonna fight, not disarm," South Carolina GOP Rep. Ralph Norman said on the "John Solomon Reports" podcast. "And he just gave in on everything."

Dozens of House Republicans have publicly expressed disapproval over McCarthy's deal with Biden. They say that the deal fails to cut enough spending and raises the debt limit by $4 trillion, rather than the $1.5 trillion that the House voted for.

"At the end of the day, he came out with nothing," Norman elaborated. "And I guess the linchpin that caused the big disconnect with me is when he gives an administration that's quickly proven to be a corrupt, compromised administration, the keys to the vault of this great country until January 2025 to raise it at any level — that's not only giving them more credit cards. It's saying, 'You can run the debt for whatever you want.' That alone should kill this bill."

One of the biggest GOP complaints about the deal is how it affects the IRS. The bill rescinds only about $1.4 billion of the nearly $80 billion in funding for the agency enacted last August, and there is reportedly a separate deal that would repurpose $20 billion of the $80 billion for fiscal years 2024 and 2025.

Another concern is that the deal does not cut spending back to pre-COVID-19 levels.

Norman expressed doubt that McCarthy could produce an explanation that would satisfy conservative lawmakers or the public. 

"Kevin can dance around the issue and try to have words to explain it," he said. "But look at the text of the bill."

"The American people are tired of smoke and mirrors," he concluded. "The American people deserve better."