During an interview aired on Friday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) stated that he would accept a deal to raise the debt ceiling even if it doesn’t require Republicans to meet Democrats halfway, because “I don’t think you have to always meet in the middle.” And that if there’s a distance of five steps between him and Republicans, “I don’t mind taking three out of five, but I ain’t going to take all five.”
Host Chris Wallace asked, “If he agrees to a deal to get — to avoid default, to get the debt limit increased, and it includes clawing back some of the COVID spending, putting caps on domestic spending but not on the Pentagon, and maybe even new work requirements for people getting federal aid, what are you going to do? This is your guy.”
Clyburn responded, “I’m going to compare what he does to what’s been done on the other side. That’s all I’m going to do.”
Wallace then asked, “And if you feel that he’s had to give more than he’s gotten?”
Clyburn answered, “Well, that all depends, whether or not I think there’s a fair exchange, that, to me, is always — I’ve said all of my life, if the distance between me and a partner on any issue [is] five steps, I don’t mind taking three of them. That’s the way I feel. I don’t think you have to always meet in the middle. So, I don’t mind taking three out of five, but I ain’t going to take all five.”
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