With two weeks to go before the country runs out of money to pay its bills, the Treasury Department warned, and as talks are confined to a closed circle of negotiators, nervousness is running high among many Democrats over the lack of details about what is being discussed, a Public Broadcasting Service report warned.

“I am vigilant. I am always vigilant,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus told reporters.

Many in her caucus were alarmed by comments President Biden made before leaving for his trip to the G7 Summit in Japan, when he suggested the possibility of tightening requirements for federal safety net programs such as food stamps.

The White House has made it clear that any changes to requirements for the Medicaid health coverage program are not acceptable, but that leaves others such as food stamps or cash assistance for low-income individuals and families as possible areas that negotiators may be reviewing.

Florida lawmaker Maxwell Frost said that once talks between Biden’s team and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s team have narrowed, he wants Biden to hold the line.

“I trust Biden. But I want to make sure he and his administration know that we don’t want to see any cuts in these essential programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance,” Frost said.

Although McCarthy did not clarify what kind of additional rules to these bills were on the table, he argued there were some statistics showing benefits of imposing restrictions on those receiving federal reliefs.

Rep. Jim McGovern assured reporters that he approached the Biden administration to say that any deal that would affect programs to reduce poverty rates should be rejected.

“I have not spoken directly to the president about this, (…) but make no mistake: what is being proposed would negatively affect the most vulnerable people in this country,” he asserted.

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