Sorry to do it, but we’re going to report on a debt ceiling update. First, I wish somebody would explain to me why the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, is attacking Speaker McCarthy and the House Republicans when in fact Mr. McCarthy’s senior emissaries, Congressmen Garret Graves and Patrick McHenry, journeyed from Capitol Hill to the White House to negotiate with President Biden’s senior people.  

They started at noon today, and they were still at it hours later. So, that’s right: Ms. Jean-Pierre is attacking the people who are inside the same building trying to negotiate a deal.  

This comes after a long session last night where the White House people were up at Capitol Hill and reportedly made some progress. In fact, it is possible that a good deal of progress is being made on the key spending issues right now. We are getting positive reports.  

So why is the White House press secretary attacking the McCarthy negotiators? It doesn’t make one whit of sense. It doesn’t promote a deal.  

Here’s some of what she said: “And let’s be clear about what Republicans are demanding in exchange for doing their job and preventing a default earlier this year, they put forward an extreme package of devastating cuts that would slash supporting support for education, law enforcement, food assistance. The list goes on and on and on and on. By what now would be about 30 percent.” 

Then, you have these crazy far-left people screaming doom and gloom if one dollar were ever cut from the federal budget — even though non-defense discretionary spending has increased roughly $150 billion, or 19 percent more than inflation, in just the last few years. This is essentially non-Covid spending now baked into the baseline cake, unless Republicans stop it. Which is exactly what Mr. McCarthy is trying to do. 

For the Democratic radical left, that is the tail wagging today’s Democratic dog. Enough spending is never enough.  

Here is some of their howling:  

((SOT PRAMILA JAYAPAL // GREG CASAR // ILHAN OMAR)) 

Representative Pramila Jaypal: “They are willing to crash the economy because they want to continue their extreme tax cuts for the wealthiest corporations and billionaires across the country. And guess what? They want you working people to finance those tax cuts for the wealthiest.”

Representative Gregorio Casar: “The Republicans are willing to threaten the global economy over trying to win tax cuts for billionaires.”

Representative Ilhan Omar: “It would be an economic catastrophe that would threaten the day to day life of every American.” 

There isn’t going to be any debt default. That’s point no 1. Point no. 2: The risk of recession is very high, mainly because of Bidenflation, which has gone up 15 percent since February 2021, with groceries up 20 percent, gasoline up 44 percent, overall energy up 33 percent, electricity up 21 percent, and real wages down more than 7 percent.  

All that unfettered spending causing inflation is the real recession culprit.  

Mr. McCarthy and his allies are trying to stop that. Their bill to raise the debt ceiling along with budget reforms, welfare, and new energy permitting would not only curb inflation, but would help grow the economy and avoid recession. That’s why virtually every poll shows that somewhere between 60 percent and 80 percent of voters want a debt ceiling increase accompanied by lower federal spending. 

Even Mr. Biden has surrendered to Mr. McCarthy’s point of view. And, while negotiators are hammering out the details, the Democratic lefties, including the White House press secretary, are trying to sabotage it.  

Tell me again how to spell “dumb” — or, better yet … Save America. Pass the bill.  

From Mr. Kudlow’s broadcast on Fox Business News.