U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, said the current debt ceiling limit crisis is due to poor leadership in the U.S. Senate and by President Joe Biden. (AP Photo)

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson said House Republicans have done their job with the nation’s debt ceiling crisis, passing a bill with reasonable reforms that will move America forward.

The Senate, though, has failed to step up, as has the executive branch, he said. This has led to the nation possibly running short of money by the end of this month.

Movement did occur Tuesday afternoon, though, as President Biden sat down with Speaker Kevin McCarthy and appointed three negotiators to work with the House and Senate on a new plan. Biden also said he would cut short an overseas trip to return to Washington and help finalize any deal.

But for Johnson, the fact the nation is even dealing with this self-inflicted crisis right now is due to poor leadership from both the Senate and the nation’s chief executive, and also the government’s addiction to spending.

“The debt ceiling crisis should be a congressional responsibility, not that of the president,” Johnson said during an interview in his Washington office. “That aside, it’s been more than 100 days since the speaker went over and offered to the president to sit down and negotiate on the debt limit. The president had initially said that he was going to, but he never has, to this day. … We haven’t gotten a proposal from the Senate. Sen. (Chuck) Schumer cannot even pass a clean debt limit in the Senate, because there are 43 senators that have already said they’re not going to support a clean debt limit. … And yet he’s demanding that Kevin McCarthy send him one. That’s not going to happen.

“House Republicans are the only ones that have moved a bill that raises the debt limit responsibly with some reforms around that. Now, are we going to get all of those reforms in a negotiation? No, we’re not. But those are responsible reforms that we’re talking about that will limit federal spending, save taxpayer dollars and grow the economy.”

A major piece of the reforms House Republicans want focus specifically on energy — particularly permitting reforms. Johnson said those reforms would help get to market natural gas and natural gas liquids produced throughout our region, a move that would help not only producers and residents in the region with natural gas holdings, but also nations around the world.

Johnson also noted the “budgetary gimmicks” utilized in Washington are part of the reason the nation faces this current debt ceiling challenge. That needs to change moving forward to ensure these issues don’t continue to occur, he said.

“You hear all the time, ‘is the federal government going to shut down because Republicans or Democrats, or both, can’t come to the table and agree on a spending package to fund the federal government?’ Do you know how much we’re talking about in that discussion? We’re only talking about 25% of what the federal government actually spends, as 75% of what the federal government spends is mandated in law,” he said. “… And what are some of the drivers? It’s healthcare. It’s Social Security. It is veterans benefits. It is all of the entitlement programs. The 25% that we argue about is what keeps the doors of the federal government open. That’s all it does, right? And yet the American people think that that’s the crux of it.

“If we zeroed out all of that 25% … the debt would continue, it would still accumulate. If you’ve got a credit card and you only pay the minimum payment, what happens to your principal? It continues to grow, right? The same thing happens here in America. Our national debt continues to grow in the exact same way, and the interest on the debt is the largest budget item that we pay for these days other than defense. That’s crazy.”

Johnson said no Republican intends to allow the nation to default on its debt. “But with $32 trillion in debt, we have a responsibility to begin bending that spending curve back in the other direction. And we haven’t asked for very much. Everybody needs some skin in the game,” he said.

That includes work programs for people who receive government benefits such as SNAP or Medicaid.

“And we’re not asking for much — 20 hours a week. That’s not over the top; 20 hours a week either working, looking for work or volunteering. That’s a modest ask for people to … keep our nation moving forward,” he said.

Requiring cities and counties to return unallocated COVID-19 relief funds — at least $30 billion nationwide has yet to be spent — also needs to happen, Johnson said.

“We can’t spend all of this money, let’s get that money back, put it back in the coffers and pay for things that we actually really need on behalf of the American people,” he said.