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    Don't believe the hype: Low-key lawmakers helped avert a debt ceiling crisis

    The House voted overwhelmingly to approve a bipartisan deal to lift the debt ceiling and cap spending. That's in part due to the work of lawmakers who usually fly under the radar.
    by Domenico Montanaro Jun 01, 2023 4 minutes
    Republican Reps. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina (left) and Garret Graves of Louisiana, pictured at the Capitol on Wednesday, were lead negotiators on behalf of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

    In a time when cynicism about politics seems to be everyone's gut reaction, it's easy to overlook the role of lower-profile lawmakers who helped avert a debt-ceiling crisis.

    Just don't call them "moderates."

    "Moderates?" tweeted Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., one of the lead negotiators of the debt-ceiling deal that passed the House overwhelmingly Wednesday night. He prefers the descriptor: "pragmatic conservatives who actually care about getting to work."

    Johnson, who looks more Bill Gates than Matt Gaetz, represents about 75 GOP members as chairman of the "Republican Main Street Caucus."

    It's one of what this Congress' Republicans colloquially the -themed "Five Families." The Main Street Caucus, and a host of other coalitions in the middle, like the "" on the other side of the aisle, were critical in securing support for the deal.

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