House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) warned Thursday that members of his Democratic Caucus will not automatically back any debt ceiling deal cut between President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

Asked if GOP leaders have miscalculated in assuming that House Democrats will help Republicans pass a Biden-backed bill through the lower chamber, Jeffries didn’t hesitate. 

“Yes,” he told reporters.

It’s highly unlikely that the White House and Democratic leaders in Congress would be in disagreement over a final debt limit agreement, since Jeffries — while not directly involved in the talks — has been updated regularly on the developments. 

Still, Jeffries’s remarks send a clear signal that House Democrats should not be considered a rubber stamp for a compromise bill if they deem it to violate core principles, particularly their efforts to protect vulnerable populations from huge cuts to social benefit programs.

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