Democrats Are At Each Others Throats To Agree On Debt Ceiling Vote
The no. 2 Democrats in the House and Senate gave conflicting messages regarding their plan to raise the debt ceiling Tuesday, with one stating that Democrats may have to resort to a procedure that allows them to pass the plan without Republican votes while the other described that same plan as a “non-starter.”
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters Tuesday that while using budget reconciliation to get around a filibuster and raising the ceiling without GOP votes was not ideal, it was “one option” and “on the table.”
But Majority Whip Dick Durbin, the no. 2 Senate Democrat, told reporters that using reconciliation to raise the debt ceiling with a simple majority was a “non-starter,” referencing the time it would take.
“It takes… three or four weeks of activity in the House and the Senate,” Durbin said.
Senate Republicans killed the Democrats’ bill to fund the government through early December additionally raising the ceiling one day before Hoyer and Durbin’s comments, putting the country precariously close to a government shutdown. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Tuesday that the ceiling had to be raised before Oct. 18, giving lawmakers less than three weeks to do so.
Senate Majority Chuck Schumer is expected to introduce a standalone bill that would raise the ceiling, which could pass with a simple majority, however bypassing the 60-votes needed takes unanimous consent, and Republicans have said they will object.
“I have been explicit that I will object,” Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz told reporters Tuesday, adding that “there’s no universe” in which he would not.