MSNBC’s Hayes: GOP Will ‘Strap on the Explosive Vest’ and Hold Economy ‘Ransom’ if They Win Midterms

MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes said Tuesday on his show “All In” that if Republicans took control of the House in the November elections, they would “strap on the explosive vest, hold the government’s full faith and credit to the United States for ransom.”

Hayes said, “That brings us to the most dangerous Republican ploy yet. In order to force Democrats to negotiate on their terms, specifically on spending cuts, a House Republican majority, Senate to, I think, but definitely the House, will hold the U.S. government and all of us, and the global economy, hostage. They will refuse to raise the so-called debt limit, which is basically an accounting authorization that simply allows U.S. government to process debt that that’s already incurred, that’s it. They will refuse to do that.”

He continued, “If they bust through it, they don’t raise the debt limit, it would most likely mean, like, genuine domestic and global financial calamity at a time of tremendous uncertainty. And when they take that hostage, they will say, we are going to do this unless you agree to voting for enormous cuts to spending, including Social Security and Medicare. Again, this is the big answer to the question, okay, we care about the economy, we care about inflation, where Republicans are running against the Biden economy. What are you going to do about it? This is the plan.”

Hayes added, “This is the explicit plan to fight inflation. Strap on the explosive vest, hold the government’s full faith and credit to the United States for ransom, unless Democrats agree to painful cuts to government spending.”

He concluded, “Kevin McCarthy, who’s likely become the next speaker if Republicans take the House, has said as much as well. Again, Republicans are smart enough – some of them, I mean, cagey about what exactly ‘wasteful spending’ means. But not all of them. Earlier this month, Bloomberg News reported some wanted to tie the debt ceiling explicitly to — and I’m quoting directly here — cuts to Medicare and Social Security.”

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