Jeffries says attaching debt limit to wildfire aid is ‘nonstarter’

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Thursday rejected the idea of combining California wildfire aid with a debt ceiling hike, saying Democrats would oppose such a package if Republicans bring it to the floor.

“It’s a nonstarter,” Jeffries said during a press briefing in the Capitol.

The pushback could complicate the plans of Republican leaders in both chambers, who are reportedly weighing a strategy to craft a massive legislative package combining an extension of government spending — which is scheduled to expire March 14 — with an increase in the debt limit, aid for wildfire victims and border security funding.

GOP leaders had initially wanted to include the debt ceiling hike in an even larger package of tax cuts, immigration reforms and changes to energy policy — priorities of the new Trump administration that they’re hoping to enact through a procedural gambit, known as reconciliation, that doesn’t require Democratic buy-in.

But a number of House conservatives have been resistant to the debt ceiling increase, threatening the nascent reconciliation package and forcing Republican leaders to search for alternative ways of preventing a federal default.

The proposal to extend government funding is one of those potential alternatives. That legislation was already on a separate track, and it’s already certain to lean on Democratic support, since it’s not moving by reconciliation and will therefore require at least 60 votes in the Senate to avoid a filibuster. Additionally, scores of House conservatives are likely to oppose the government funding bill, citing deficit spending concerns, meaning Democratic votes will be needed in the lower chamber, as well.

By floating a package combining government funding with the debt limit hike with wildfire aid, GOP leaders are hoping to entice that needed Democratic support.

Jeffries’s rejection of that strategy Thursday suggests Republicans will need to tweak their designs for averting both a government shutdown and a federal default. Jeffries said no GOP leaders have reached out to him to discuss any spending deals.

“They've had no communications with us,” he said. “It's not hard to find me. They know where I'm at. They know my number. I haven't received a single call about a single one of these issues."

The clash is happening while even more fires have sprouted around Los Angeles, where dry conditions and high winds have combined to fuel the worst wildfire disaster in the region’s history. Initial estimates have put the cost of the damage at well above $100 billion.

Jeffries, along with a long list of Democrats, have warned that they won’t support any “conditions” on wildfire aid, arguing that assistance for natural disasters should not be bogged down in extraneous debates that might delay the help. That sets up a fight with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and President Trump, who have both blamed California officials for mismanagement of water and forest resources that’s exacerbated the crisis.

Trump said Wednesday that Washington should not provide any emergency help until California reforms those wildfire policies — a stipulation that’s infuriated Democrats, and some California Republicans.

“There will be a time and place to do an after-action analysis as it relates to state preparation for extreme weather events,” Jeffries said Thursday. He said that analysis should also examine why the cost of home insurance in Florida — a deep red state frequently hit by hurricanes — is so high.

"These are all legitimate questions," Jeffries said. "And if the House Republicans want to have this discussion, we will make sure — in the United States of America and in the Congress — that it's a comprehensive one."

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