During a guest appearance on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, Republican Representative Chip Roy from Texas injected some humor into the ongoing discussions about the debt ceiling. Hosted by Kayleigh McEnany, the show featured Roy along with Representative Byron Donalds from Florida, discussing the debt ceiling deal struck by President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Both Roy and Donalds expressed their opposition to the legislation, arguing that it does not do enough to address government spending.
As McEnany posed a question to Roy about the realistic alternative to the deal, she mentioned the potential consequences of not reaching an agreement, including the possibility of the country’s debt being downgraded. Roy, seizing the opportunity to reference a recent misspelling by former President Donald Trump, used the term “milquetoast” in his response, alluding to Trump’s earlier criticism of McEnany.
Roy stated that the bill presented as part of the debt ceiling deal was lacking in substance, using the term “milquetoast” to convey his view. He then outlined what he believed to be a simple alternative, highlighting the existence of $28 to $29 billion in Covid funds and $80 billion in IRS money that he argued should be eliminated. Roy emphasized that getting rid of this IRS funding was a key campaign promise, suggesting that the country should not further expand the government’s reach in the post-Covid era.
While Roy made his “milquetoast” remark during his response, McEnany did not acknowledge the reference and continued with the discussion. The moment added a touch of levity to the otherwise serious topic of the debt ceiling and government spending, referencing a recent incident involving Trump’s misspelling and showcasing Roy’s ability to inject humor into the conversation.
“Starting with you, Congressman Chip Roy, what is the realistic alternative to this?” McEnany asked. “Because I understand we wouldn’t formally default. We could pay the interest on our debt, but our debt could be downgraded and that could be catastrophic. So what is the realistic alternative to this deal?”
“First of all, you know, everything that we’re seeing out of the bill that’s been put forward, this deal hatched this weekend is pretty milquetoast if that word might mean something to you,” Roy responded, alluding to Trump’s slam.
Roy went on to say the alternative is “simple.”
“You have $28 or $29 billion in Covid funds,” he said. “You have $80 billion in IRS money. All of us agreed it should go away. The number one thing we campaigned on was getting rid of that IRS money.”
He added that the country shouldn’t “pile on to post-Covid expanded government.”
