"The swamp creatures are working together to raise the freaking debt ceiling. This is totally corrupt, and screws the American people right in their faces, blatantly and in broad daylight."
Rep. Lauren Boebert (video)
Well, that didn’t take long.
Breaking the promise he made to conservatives back in October, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell cut a deal with Democrats that paves the way for Democrats to sidestep a filibuster and raise the debt ceiling. Under the agreement, the House and Senate will first pass a bill that prevents cuts to Medicare that also tees up a subsequent debt ceiling bill to pass by a simple majority in the Senate.
However, reported The Hill, McConnell is sparking resistance within his own caucus both from conservatives, who raised concerns during a closed-door lunch, and GOP senators who previously helped advance a debt ceiling deal in October.
Regular readers of CHQ will remember back in October we opposed McConnell’s deal to give the Democrats more time to come up with a strategy to raise the debt ceiling, even after Biden trashed them after they helped.
Now, McConnell is not only helping raise the debt ceiling, but he’s also undermining the filibuster in the process.
And even some McConnell allies aren’t happy about it.
The Hill reports at least two GOP senators who helped advance the debt ceiling agreement in October said they were either opposed or likely to be “no” votes.
“I wouldn't vote for it,” said Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), who helped advance a short-term debt hike earlier this year. “I just think we ought to keep our word with the base.”
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), another one of the 11 GOP senators, said that he was “leaning” toward opposing the deal.
Republicans were describing the measure Tuesday as setting up a one-time exception to the filibuster. Though a GOP aide noted that the Senate routinely has a fast-track process for other issues like arms sales and trade deals, The Hill reported the debt agreement was drawing criticism from conservatives who don’t want to lift a finger to help Democrats extend the nation’s borrowing limit.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), in a tweet, called it a “Frankenstein bill” that would “neuter the Senate.” While Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) warned that Republicans should do nothing that helps Democrats raise the debt ceiling.
“[Democrats] should at least own the responsibility for crushing debt they are necessitating. Republicans should not participate in racking up that debt, which is harming people across the country,” Cruz said, according to reporting by The Hill.
Back in October McConnell took to the Senate Floor and claimed he and the House Republican leadership planned to make the Democrats own raising the debt ceiling.
“Republicans are shining a spotlight on the reckless taxing and spending spree that Washington Democrats are writing behind closed doors.
“The radical left is pushing in all their chips. They want to use this terrible but temporary pandemic as a Trojan horse for permanent socialism. And President Biden, who ran as a unifying moderate, is either powerless to stop them or does not wish to.
“An avalanche of crushing tax hikes that would hurt families and help China. A government power grab over more of Americans’ healthcare decisions, childcare choices, family finances, and daily lives. Trillions upon trillions more in government spending when families are already facing inflation.
“None of this will get a single Republican vote in either chamber. Democrats have not even consulted us. They haven’t tried to earn our votes. From the start, they’ve planned to use a party-line fast-track process to ram this through the Senate on their own. That’s why Republicans will not help this unified Democratic government with its basic duty to raise the debt ceiling.
“This could not be simpler. If they want to tax, borrow, and spend historic sums of money without our input, they’ll have to raise the debt limit without our help. This is the reality. I’ve been saying this very clearly since July. And I think our Democratic colleagues are finally getting it. Because now they’re fumbling for bogus excuses."
Democrats, he said, were going to have to use reconciliation to raise the debt ceiling, and do it without Republican votes.
It was all a load of B.S. as many conservatives predicted at the time, and what’s even worse, McConnell has now set the precedent for a “carve out” from the filibuster rules.
And Democrats are already planning to use the same kind of “carve out” to advance their plan to take over and federalize elections and for Biden’s massive spending bill.
So, now who is fumbling for bogus excuses? It’s Mitch McConnell. The toll-free Capitol Switchboard (1-866-220-0044), call your Republican Senators and demand that they vote NO on any Democrat bill to raise the debt ceiling.
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