Budget

Conservatives oppose reported House debt limit deal

A handful of conservative groups are opposing a reported debt limit deal emerging from the House.

Grover Norquist’s advocacy group, Americans for Tax Reform was among a coalition of tax groups saying the debt ceiling would be raised in exchange for increased spending and wipe out scheduled mandatory spending cuts.

{mosads}House Republicans are meeting Monday night to determine a way forward with the deadline to raise the limit coming at the end of the month. The House is racing to a solution because they are only in session until Wednesday and they are out next week.

Spending authority ends on Feb. 27.

“On behalf of the millions of taxpayers and concerned citizens represented by our organizations, the undersigned groups are united in opposition to the House’s reported debt limit deal,” the groups wrote.

They argue that the new spending in the deal would be offset in the 10-year budget window by new spending caps.

“Over the longer run, however, permanent mandatory savings worth tens of billions in taxpayer dollars would be eviscerated,” they wrote.

“While our groups have advocated different approaches for fighting the growth of government in the past, we are united in opposition to a plan that would squander the leverage of the debt limit in exchange for increased spending.”

National Taxpayers Union, Taxpayers Protection Alliance, Americans For Prosperity, Citizens Against Government Waste, GenOpp and Coalition to Reduce Spending all oppose the deal.