What’s Next After the Debt Limit Deal for Congress and the Presidential Race
Ask Students: Who will be negatively affected by the debt deal? What has President Biden gained from the passage of the debt deal?
After hammering out a deal to suspend the U.S. debt limit and avert a default disaster, leaders in both parties are already looking ahead. Bloomberg congressional reporter Erik Wasson and The 19th’s founder and editor at large Errin Haines join Lisa Desjardins to discuss the future of both the legislative and executive branches.
For a transcript of this story, click here.
Discussion Question
- According to journalists Erik Wasson and Errin Haines, who will be negatively affected by the debt deal?
- According to journalist Wasson, what has President Biden gained from the passage of the debt deal?
- How is Ron DeSantis challenging Donald Trump’s bid for the presidency?
- According to Wasson, what issues are voters currently most interested in?
- According to Haines, when will more voters begin to focus on the 2024 election?
Focus Questions
Journalist Erik Wasson said that, overall, the debt deal is “full of more holes than Swiss cheese.” Do you agree that this legislation failed to accomplish any meaningful goals? Do you think that compromise is a useful tool in making legislative progress? Why or why not?
Media Literacy: Why do you think this piece focuses so much on the upcoming election?
Extension Activity
As a class, read this article by NPR that provides greater detail on the debt deal. Then evaluate as a class what each political party gained from the passage of the deal. In what ways was compromise helpful or hurtful in achieving these victories?
Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Classroom.
PBS NewsHour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories.
