Vox Sentences - McCarthy’s doomed debt ceiling plan

House GOP releases debt limit proposal; Sudan fighting continues despite ceasefires.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

What’s in the Republican debt ceiling bill?

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

• House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday unveiled the Republican plan to raise the debt ceiling limit until March 2024 in exchange for spending cuts. [Vox / Ben Jacobs]
• The Limit, Save, Grow Act would cut federal spending to 2022 levels, rescind Democratic climate change policy, and eliminate student loan forgiveness, among other measures. [Associated Press / Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking].
• The bill has no chance of becoming law, as Democrats control the Senate, but McCarthy hopes to force President Joe Biden and Democrats to come to the negotiating table. [USA Today / Joey Garrison and Ella Lee]
• It’s also unclear if McCarthy’s proposal has enough support to pass the House, where he can only afford to lose a handful of votes. [Politico / Adam Cancryn, Jennifer Scholtes, and Sarah Ferris]
• The Treasury Department has used extraordinary measures to keep the government from defaulting on its payments since the US reached its $31 trillion debt ceiling in January. If the limit isn’t raised, resources could run out by June, which would devastate the global economy. [NPR / Barbara Sprunt and Deirdre Walsh]

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House Republicans could roll back national gains in Medicaid enrollment by introducing a work requirement for coverage. [Vox / Dylan Scott]

Thousands flee Sudan after ceasefires crumble

• Thousands of civilians are fleeing Sudan under the threat of heavy gunfire after ceasefires collapsed. [Reuters / Khalid Abdelaziz and Nafisa Eltahir]
• Clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group began last weekend after rival military generals disagreed over the transition to civilian rule and how to incorporate the RSF into the army. [Vox / Ellen Ioanes]
• At least 330 people have died and another 3,200 have been wounded in the violence that’s destroyed hospitals and major infrastructure in and around the densely populated capital, Khartoum. [New York Times / Isabella Kwai and Cora Engelbrecht]
• The Pentagon on Thursday began moving military troops to Djibouti in case it needs to evacuate US embassy staff from Khartoum. [Politico / Alexander Ward, Lara Seligman, and Erin Banco]

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Disney signed a last-minute agreement that allows the company to set its utility rates, escalating its war with Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. [Vox / Nicole Narea]

• BuzzFeed Inc. is shutting down its news division and laying off 15 percent of its staff company-wide to cut costs. [NBC News / Rob Wile]
• President Biden on Thursday announced $500 million to prevent further deforestation in the Amazon and $1 billion to help developing countries respond to climate change. [NYT / Lisa Friedman and Manuela Andreoni]
• According to new research, consuming weed can lift moods, but doesn’t boost creativity. [Washington Post / Richard Sima]

“It’s a bill that screws regular people, plain and simple.”

[Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), on the House GOP debt ceiling plan / AP]

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