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 debt limit:
“Yesterday, Senate Democrats blocked a vote on clean government funding legislation.
“Senator Shelby and I put forward legislation that could pass the Senate easily and keep the government open. We were ready to avoid a shutdown… get urgent relief to Louisiana… help vetted Afghans who helped America… and continue supporting Israel’s Iron Dome which saves innocent lives.
“Senate Republicans were ready. And House Democratic leaders say they’ll act on whatever C.R. we send them.
“But Democrats blocked the Senate from even considering our legislation. Instead, the Democratic Leader held a vote that he knew would fail on a bill that he knew was a non-starter.
“Game-playing instead of governing.
“For more than two months, Republicans have explained that the unified Democratic Party government will not get bipartisan support for a debt limit hike while they write a partisan taxing and spending spree behind closed doors.
“Bipartisanship isn’t a light-switch that Democrats can switch on when they need to borrow money and flip off when they want to spend money.
“If Democrats want to use fast-track, party-line procedures to ram through trillions more in inflationary socialism, they’ll have to use the same tools to handle the debt limit. And they’ve known this for more than two months.
“The debt suspension that expired in August covered all the debt that had been accumulated by that date. This is an argument about the future. A future that Democrats have willfully decided they want to own on a party-line basis.
“There is no constant tradition that says one-party governments get bipartisan help with the debt limit.
“Just between 2003 and 2010, there were five occasions when the party in power had to get a debt limit hike through the Senate themselves. Then-Senators Biden and Schumer voted ‘no’ on raising the debt limit under President Bush 43 and made the unified Republican government do it ourselves.
“So it is time for our Democratic colleagues to stop dragging their heels and get moving. They’ve had more than two months to accept it.
“Secretary Yellen just announced a new estimate that action on the debt limit may be necessary as early as October 18th. Democrats will need to handle the debt limit before then.
“But Democrats in Congress aren’t acting with urgency. The Senate spends day after day on mid-level nominations. And our colleagues spend all their time in back-room talks over partisan plans. While their basic duties sit in limbo.
“So far, Democrats’ partisan ambitions have taken precedence over basic governance. That needs to change. According to their own Treasury Secretary, they have a few weeks to get moving.”
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