7:50 p.m. ET, May 30, 2023
Senate Democrats have mixed reactions to debt limit deal
From CNN's Lauren Fox, Manu Raju and Nicky Robertson
Some Senate Democrats are not enthusiastic about the
debt ceiling agreement, while multiple say they are still reviewing the bill and others have not yet decided if they will support it ahead of the
June 5 deadline.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he is “far from ecstatic about some of the provisions,” and is still in the process of looking at it. He did say the agreement “seems like a reasonable and constructive way to avoid the catastrophe of default.”
Sen. Ben Cardin told reporters he is specifically concerned about spending numbers and recissions for the Small Business Administration, as he is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. “The bottom line is I really want to understand what is in here before reaching a decision,” he said.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren said she still has concerns and continues to read. When asked if she has talked to the White House about her concerns, she said she has told “everyone.”
Sen. Chris Murphy said he will speak to the White House tomorrow about some remaining questions he has about the deal, and said that “details have been a little hard to come by.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders would not say whether he intends to support the bill. “You’ll see,” he told CNN.
Sen. Sherrod Brown said he does not know yet if he’ll support the bill. "There’s many priorities I have this didn’t address," he said. "We just hope we beat back and think we beat back most of those efforts."
Sen. Chris Van Hollen also said he has not made a final decision on the bill, but that the “framework looks good.”
Sen. Chris Coons, a key ally of President Joe Biden, seemed more positive. He told CNN that he thinks the bill will have the support of the Democratic conference.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who is not seeking re-election, said she supports the bill.