Republicans are doubling down on their push to expand work requirements for social welfare programs as part of any debt-limit deal amid opposition from Democrats.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday said expanded work requirements were key to getting GOP support for any debt-limit hike.

“Remember what we’re talking about — able-bodied people without dependents,” said Mr. McCarthy, California Republican. “It’s 20 hours per week, you [can] go to school or whatever else. … Work requirements help people get a job.”

Mr. McCarthy noted the issue polled well and both parties supported stronger work requirements for welfare recipients in the past.

“This is something that President Biden as a senator voted for. This is something that President Bill Clinton signed,” said Mr. McCarthy. “Have the Democrats become so progressive, so far to the left [that] they’re changing their policies now and want to put the country in default?”

Expanded work requirements have emerged as a sticking point in the negotiations over cutting spending and hiking the debt limit.

House Republicans are pushing requirements for individuals to work at least 20 hours per week to qualify for Medicaid, food stamps and direct cash payments. They also want to increase the age limit for work requirements from 49 to 55.

Over the weekend, Mr. Biden told reporters there was openness to accepting expanded work requirements for some welfare programs.

“I voted for tougher aid programs that are in law now, but for Medicaid it’s a different story,” said Mr. Biden. “So, I’m waiting to hear what their exact proposal is.”

After opposition from Democrats, the president backtracked slightly Monday, saying he also was opposed to increasing work requirements on elderly food stamp recipients.

“Rather than push Americans into poverty, we should reduce the deficit by making sure the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share in taxes,” said Mr. Biden.

Mr. McCarthy said that for a debt-limit deal to succeed all programs had to be on the table.

“We’re talking about all the programs,” said Mr. McCarthy. “Because it helps people get into a job.”

Democrats say expanding work requirements on food stamps and Medicaid is a redline, given the country is just coming out of a national pandemic and plagued by inflation.

“We must reject any bill that would increase poverty and take health care away from millions of Americans,” said Sen. Bob Casey, Pennsylvania Democrat.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that Medicaid would save $120 billion over the next decade if recipients were required to work at least 20 hours per week. The savings would come at the expense of 600,000 individuals losing access to Medicaid over the same period.

When it comes to food stamps, the CBO estimates 275,000 people would lose benefits each month under the new requirements.

House Republicans say that both programs became bloated as Washington and state governments eased eligibility criteria during the coronavirus pandemic.

“No one’s dream is to spend their lives on government assistance,” said House Ways and Committee Chairman Jason Smith, Missouri Republican. “If we don’t get welfare right, then we run the risk of trapping people in a generational cycle of poverty that makes a government check more valuable than a job and robs them of the dignity of work.”

Medicaid added 20.2 million people to its rolls from February 2020 to October 2022 alone, costing the federal government $592 billion.

Meanwhile, the number of people receiving food stamps has grown by nearly 2.5 million since July 2019.

• Haris Alic can be reached at halic@washingtontimes.com.