james clyburn

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday said President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party must do everything in their power to defend middle- and low-income people in potential budget negotiations, after the Republicans said they will raise the country's debt limit only in exchange for cuts to green jobs, food assistance, healthcare, and other social services that millions of Americans depend on.

Sanders spoke to CNN's "State of the Union" about the debt ceiling days after the GOP introduced the so-called Limit, Save, Grow Act, which would raise the country's borrowing limit to avoid an unprecedented default on its debt obligations and threaten the U.S. and global economies—but also includes cuts to Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Social Security Administration, and Internal Revenue Service funding meant to prevent tax-dodging by the richest Americans, among other programs.