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‘It’s a good compromise’ NC Rep Wiley Nickel on debt ceiling deal

With just days to go before the deadline and with some Republicans, including North Carolina’s Dan Bishop saying no to the debt ceiling deal, Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden will need a fair number of Democrats to get on board. Representative Wiley Nickel said he is an early yes.

“I’m 100% supporting this bipartisan budget deal. It’s a good compromise,” Nickel said. The freshman North Carolina congressman represents all of Johnston County and parts of Wake, Harnett and Wayne counties.

Nickel told CBS 17 he does believe there will be enough votes to send the bill to the US Senate.

“I believe very firmly that we’re going to pass this bill, but you know, we’ve got to make sure we explain to people what’s in the bill, why it matters and that’s what I’m doing—getting out here, trying to make sure my constituents understand what’s in the bill, why it’s a good thing for for North Carolina’s 13th district and why it’s so good for the country,” he said.

Nickel represents around 49,000 central North Carolina veterans. The legislation continues to fully fund veteran’s health care benefits. It also protects the PACT Act which improves health care access and funding for veterans exposed to toxic substances, like burn pits, during their military service.

“Those were some of my biggest priorities and I’m very glad that, you know, we have a bill that makes sure to, you know, give our veterans the respect they deserve by fully funding veterans’ health care,” Nickel said.

Republican Richard Hudson represents Fort Bragg as well as other parts of Cumberland County. A spokesperson for his office said he will also vote in favor of the debt ceiling bill.

Rep. Deborah Ross, who represents much of Wake County, has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a Tuesday tweet. Ross said she “will not be able to vote this week since proxy voting ended. While I am disappointed to be missing such a consequential week in DC, I support the bipartisan agreement that [President Biden] has negotiated to prevent a catastrophic default.”

Nickel’s home district is the most evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans in the state. He said knows there will be those on the far left and far right who will think Biden or McCarthy didn’t go far enough. But Nickel stands behind the deal. 

“This represents the kind of bipartisan work that so many folks in the middle want to see in Washington and now we’ve got it. And I just hope that the extreme voices, especially those on the far right, don’t become amplified so much that people lose sight of what a really good deal this is for the vast majority of folks in the center,” Nickel said.