Letters to the Editor: Do McCarthy’s Republicans have any real beliefs on the debt or federal spending?

To the editor: I appreciate how columnist Jackie Calmes exposes Republicans for the fiscal hypocrites they are.

This fight over the debt ceiling is a ploy only to hurt President Biden. When former President Trump ran deficits, the Republicans went along with it. Now they decide to cut spending on the backs of the poor.

Congress has had more than 30 years to pass legislation addressing immigration since President Reagan gave amnesty to millions living in the U.S. in the 1980s. Now, the Republicans are stalling bills that would fund border protection and homeland security.

Their hearts bleed for veterans, but they stalled a bill to help those who served and were exposed to toxins.

If that isn’t enough to set your hair on fire, the Republicans want to cut education spending, nutrition programs for children, money for Alzheimer’s research and more. Of course, Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy are off limits.

The Republicans in Congress have convinced unsuspecting people that they care about them. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Deborah Wright, Rancho Santa Margarita

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To the editor: At his recent town hall Trump said about defaulting on the debt, “Congressmen, senators, if they don’t give you massive cuts, you’re going to have to do a default.” Many members of Congress regard him as the legitimate president

Furthermore, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) required 15 rounds of voting to secure his position as speaker of the House, and he had to make significant agreements with the conservative wing of his party to win.

Given all this, it will be surprising if any plan that McCarthy puts to a vote in Congress that has any compromises with the Democrats will win enough Republican votes to pass.

Alan Rosenberg, Dana Point

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To the editor: I thought the Republicans were supposed to be responsible fiscal conservatives. Yet here they are threatening to not pay America’s bills, which they also incurred as members of Congress.

Governing is lost on a party that supports insurrection, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declaring that he might pardon Trump if elected president.

What an unreal world. You couldn’t write it with scab labor during a writer’s strike.

Michael Frishberg, Torrance