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Mitch McConnell Not ‘Bluffing’ on Republican Debt Ceiling Stand

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks to the media after he toured the McKesson di
Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal via USA TODAY NETOWRK
Sean Moran

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Tuesday he is not “bluffing” on Senate Republicans’ stand on the debt ceiling.

McConnell told Punchbowl News that Republicans will not help the Democrat-controlled Congress raise the debt ceiling, which is required for the government to continue operating alongside a bill to fund the government.

The leading Senate Republican said that Democrats have the onus of raising the debt ceiling:

I voted to raise the debt ceiling to cover all of the spending through the present, as part of a bipartisan negotiated caps deal between the previous administration, the speaker and myself. So the only issue is, whose responsibility is it to do it? A Democratic president, a Democratic House, a Democratic Senate.

We have opposed virtually everything they’ve done this year. They’ve done it through two reconciliation bills, a rescue bill and now they’re trying to do it again. It’s their obligation. They should step up. It’s hard being in the majority. They are the ones who will raise the debt limit.

The debt ceiling expired on August 1, but it will still take weeks for the federal government to reach the debt ceiling threshold. Democrats also have roughly nine days to fund the federal government.

President Joe Biden’s administration and Democrat congressional leaders think Senate Republicans will falter when the debt ceiling deadline comes closer; however, McConnell has often led by accurately gauging the temperature of his caucus.

McConnell rebuked suggestions that he and his caucus might crack under the pressure of brinksmanship-style negotiations with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on the debt ceiling.

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He said, “Do you guys think I’m bluffing? … I’ve said the same thing to several intermediaries who’ve come around.”

McConnell said Democrats should increase the debt ceiling in their $3.5 trillion reconciliation infrastructure package; although, Democrats have not moved to do this.

Leading Senate Republicans said they would not support raising the debt ceiling.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-FL) said Tuesday he would filibuster any attempt to raise the debt ceiling.

“We don’t need to be spending the kind of money that the Democrats are spending, this is of their own making,” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) said.
“If you are going to do the debt limit, you need to do it on its own, separately, and it needs to be attached to something that brings spending under control,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said.

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.

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