Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the Democrats’ reckless tax and spending spree:
“Last election cycle, Americans elected a 50-50 Senate, a closely-divided House, and a president who promised unity and moderation. What have Washington Democrats done in response?
“They’ve set out trying to tax and spend our country into oblivion.
“They’ve handed the keys to domestic policymaking to Chairman Sanders and some socialist House members.
“In the spring, they passed a massive, inflationary, liberal spending bill that Democrats bragged was the most liberal bill in American history.
“Now, this week, just a few months later, they want to start ramming through trillions more that will make that disaster look like child’s play.
“They call it three and a half trillion dollars in spending. Nonpartisan experts say these plans would more likely cost Americans about five and a half trillion dollars.
“Trillions more borrowing and trillions more spending when inflation is already sticking American families with higher costs.
“New permanent welfare with no work requirements when small businesses are already struggling to find workers. Sweeping amnesty when the southern border is already in crisis.
“Green New Deal regulations when Americans’ gas prices have already shot up. Crushing tax hikes for family businesses and farms as they fight to recover from the recession.
“Apparently tragedy and comedy really are two sides of the same coin.
“The tragedy is that Democrats want to inflict all this pain on middle-class families.
“Here’s the comedy: They won’t let Republicans have any say in this monstrosity… but they want our help raising their credit card limit to make it happen!
“Democrats want Republicans to help them raise the debt limit so they can keep spending historic sums of money with zero Republican input and zero Republican votes.
“Imagine a friend tells you he’s flying to Las Vegas to blow all his money.
“He doesn’t care that you think it’s irresponsible and you aren’t invited to come. But he wants you to co-sign a loan for him before he leaves!
“I understand the Administration sent out the Treasury Secretary to argue that, historically, both parties have addressed the debt ceiling together.
“Of course, it’s our Senate Democratic colleagues who have no interest in what is historically normal.
“Their borrowing and spending are historically abnormal. Democrats keep boasting about how wild and revolutionary their partisan vision is!
“So our friends across the aisle should not expect traditional bipartisan borrowing to finance their nontraditional reckless taxing and spending spree.
“That’s not how this works.
“Democrats have all the existing tools they need to raise the debt limit on a partisan basis. If they want 50 lock-step Democratic votes to spend trillions and trillions more, they can find 50 Democratic votes to finance it.
“If they don’t want Republicans’ input, they don’t need our help.
“It couldn’t be simpler. It couldn’t be more fair.
“Besides, I thought my colleagues were thrilled to present another reckless taxing and spending spree to the American people. I thought middle-class families were supposed to be delighted with their socialist shopping list.
“Shouldn’t Democrats be proud to own all the debt it requires?
“Our colleagues seem confident that Chairman Sanders’ vision is worth sticking our kids and grandkids with a massive bill. They deserve to have total ownership of that decision.”
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