“This is our plan,” Perry said. “If somebody else wants to bring something else, we’re willing to look at it, but I will tell you, the plan that President Biden showed to the American people? That is not happening.”
Biden introduced his administration’s budget proposal Thursday, which included tax hikes and spending increases, which House Republicans have already signaled they will reject.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) emphasized that point on Friday, saying, “To President Biden, your budget is dead on arrival.”
By laying out its spending restrictions, the caucus, which makes up roughly 20 percent of the Republican conference, is wielding its power early on in the debt ceiling fight while the GOP maintains a slim majority of control in the chamber.
At this stage, the caucus appears united in its intentions to vote together on any spending and debt limit measures, and Perry observed that leadership, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), has not shown opposition to the caucus’s priorities.
“McCarthy won’t negotiate with Democrats,” Perry also said when asked if that were a possibility.
A new Freedom Caucus member present at the press conference, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), added, “He has a backbone.”
Biden responded Friday afternoon to the caucus’s proposals, saying, according to CNN, “We just have a very different value set.”