As President Biden and Democrats work to prevent default and avoid catastrophe for the American economy, some House Republicans are blatantly admitting that they want to take the debt ceiling hostage. MAGA Congressman Matt Gaetz said the quiet part out loud yesterday: “I think my conservative colleagues for the most part … don’t feel like we should negotiate with our hostage.” Gaetz and other House Republicans are threatening to put our nation into default for the first time in our history unless they get their extreme partisan demands.

House Republicans — including MAGA extremist Congressman Matt Gaetz — are openly refusing to move forward in good faith toward a bipartisan agreement.

HuffPost: “House Republicans Pretty Much Admit They Are Taking Debt Limit ‘Hostage’”

Semafor: “Matt Gaetz embraces role as hostage taker as House leaders brace for debt limit fallout”

Semafor: “Republicans have often bristled at accusations that they are resorting to hostage tactics by refusing to raise the federal debt ceiling without securing spending cuts. But on Tuesday, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz leaned into the charge as he explained to reporters that he and his fellow hardline conservatives would likely reject any sort of compromise deal that watered down the party-line bill Republicans passed through the house.”

New York Times: “Hard-right Republicans have fueled the debt-limit standoff by demanding deep spending cuts as the price of averting a default, and they are all but certain to oppose any compromise.”

Gaetz isn’t the only House Republican saying they are taking the debt ceiling hostage.

Peter Baker, New York Times: “The White House has compared Republicans in the debt ceiling fight to hostage takers. Some Republicans now embrace the comparison and add that they ‘don’t feel like we should negotiate with our hostage.’”

Washington Post: “Asked Tuesday evening what Republicans were offering to get Democratic votes, Rep. Patrick T. McHenry (R-N.C.) gave a brief answer: ‘The debt ceiling.’

“‘That’s what they’re getting,’ added Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.).”

Insider: “Some conservative lawmakers don’t want Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy to make any compromises with President Joe Biden on the debt ceiling — even with a default potentially eight days away.”