With the faith and credit of the United States of America hanging in the balance and a catastrophic global recession like if the federal government defaults on paying its bills, GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell says Republicans will not support raising debt limit because he wants to make Democrats look bad.
The day after the Senate approved a temporary lift to the U.S. debt ceiling, McConnell wrote in a letter to President Joe Biden that he would not aid Democrats again in raising the debt limit, which is required to pay bills that have already been authorized by Congress.
The latest agreement allows the debt limit to increase by $480 billion, a sum the Treasury Department estimates will allow it to pay bills until Dec. 3.
In the most consequential vote on the issue 11 Republicans joined all 50 Democrats to provide the minimum 60 votes needed to end debate and move the bill to final passage, which required a simple majority.
Former President Donald Trump said he did not want the Biden administration to get any cooperation from Republicans, but these GOP senators defied Trump by advancing the debt ceiling: Sen. John Barrasso, Sen. Roy Blunt, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, Sen. Susan Collins, Sen., John Cornyn Sen., Mitch McConnell, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Sen. Rob Portman, Sen. Mike Rounds, Sen. Richard Shelby, and Sen. John Thune.
None of the Republicans who voted to end debate voted to pass the final bill but for that, Democrats needed only 50 votes, because at least one Republican, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, was not present.
The U.S. risks economic calamity if Congress doesn’t raise or suspend the borrowing limit by Oct. 18, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned.
Senators signed off on legislation that would keep the nation from reaching its debt limit until early December.
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