Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) needs to use the debt ceiling as a way to keep President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Act from being passed in the Senate.
“Old Crow Mitch McConnell, who is getting beaten on every front by the Radical Left Democrats since giving them a two-month delay which allowed them to ‘get their act together,’ must be fully prepared to use the DEBT CEILING in order to totally kill the Democrat’s new Social Spending (Wasting!) Bill, which will change our Country forever,” Trump said.
While Democrats say that the bill, which has already passed the House, would only “cost” $1.87 trillion over 10 years, an analysis by Wharton showed that the bill will actually cost more than $4 trilion if temporary parts of the bill are extended permanently, which they often are.
McConnell is still getting heat from Trump and other Republicans about ending a filibuster to allow a vote on a two-month debt ceiling extension in October, when the U.S. was reportedly just days away from defaulting on some of its debts.
Why not reconciliation?
Democrats could use budget reconciliation to pass debt ceiling increases without any Republican votes, but the process would take about two weeks and would open them up to votes on a number of amendments and other bills.
While no doubt McConnell was thinking about the upheaval it would have caused for the U.S. to publicly default on paying obligations, his capitulation signaled to Democrats that maybe some Republicans weren’t as opposed to their trillions-spending agenda as previously thought.
Despite voting to have a vote, no Republicans ended up voting for the final debt ceiling increase in the Senate, and it had to be passed on party lines 51-50.
Sending a clear message
If Republicans led by McConnell want to send a clear message to Democrats about spending, Trump reasoned, they would not do anything that helps Democrats spend more money. This includes raising the debt ceiling.
Trump seemed to say that Republicans could have prevented all of Biden’s spending agenda if they had really wanted to.
“Mitch and the Republican Senators had them beaten, but didn’t know it, and we ended up with the Unfrastructure Bill, which is only 11% infrastructure. Worse, he allowed a splitting of the Bills (with 19 votes, including himself), which makes the Dems path for the even worse Bill a much easier one,” Trump said.
“Use the Debt Ceiling, Mitch, show strength and courage. Our Country is being destroyed,” he added.
If Democrats opt not to unilaterally raise the debt limit and Republicans don’t give them another out, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said there’s a chance the U.S. could begin to default on its obligations by Christmas.
The post ‘Our country is being destroyed’: Trump urges McConnell to use debt ceiling to stop Biden agenda first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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