Why Democrats and GOP Stick to Their Guns in Debt Ceiling Battle as Biden Remains Mum

© REUTERS / LEAH MILLISU.S. President Joe Biden clears his throat as he delivers remarks on the economy during a speech in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., September 16, 2021
U.S. President Joe Biden clears his throat as he delivers remarks on the economy during a speech in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., September 16, 2021 - Sputnik International, 1920, 23.09.2021
Subscribe
The two parties have only until the beginning of October to resolve the issue, thus saving the government from shutdown and the country from risking a default on its debts.
Time is running out for the American political forces to deal with the issue of the debt ceiling – whether by placing curbs on the lavish spending programmes envisaged by the Democrats through a compromise deal, or finding a way either to raise or to suspend said ceiling. And still both Democrats and Republicans stand their ground: the Dems insist that the debt ceiling change should be a bipartisan decision, and the GOP refuses to take part in the act.
The Democrats claim that by refusing to vote for increasing or once again suspending the debt ceiling, the Republicans were doing the US a disfavour. White House spokesman Mike Gwin accused the GOP of "playing politics with the prospect of economic calamity" referring to the imminent government shut-down in October and the US possibly defaulting on its debts.
© REUTERS / Brian SnyderFederal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen speaks at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. May 27, 2016
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen speaks at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. May 27, 2016 - Sputnik International, 1920, 23.09.2021
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen speaks at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. May 27, 2016
The party recruited Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to spread the message of doom posed by hitting the debt ceiling – something she has been doing since the middle of the summer, media outlet Politico reported. It also claimed that the White House has tried to persuade powerful business interests, conservative-leaning organisations and other groups, which could influence the GOP into translating the message of the importance to the economy of passing the motion to raise or suspend the debt ceiling through Congress. The latter, so far, have not been of much help to the party's cause, mostly making nominal statements about the importance of dealing with the pressing issue.
Some Democrat lawmakers have attacked their Republican colleagues outright for refusing to negotiate the debt ceiling issue settlement:

"Are we hostage to Republicans who are threatening to blow up a part of the economic system because they want to do that for politics? That is just not where we should be as a nation."

FILE - In this Thursday, March 5, 2020, file photo, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks to the media outside her home in Cambridge, Mass., after she dropped out of the Democratic presidential race - Sputnik International
Elizabeth Warren
Democratic Senator
The GOP was quick in its rebuttal, pointing out that the Democrats' infrastructure bills running into trillions of dollars and unchecked spending is no less dangerous to the American economy. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell accused the opposing party of playing "Russian roulette with the [US] economy".
Republican Senator Rick Scott, in turn, raised another worrying issue: why the Democrats are so unwilling to pass the debt ceiling notion alone. Despite lacking 60 votes in the upper chamber to defeat the filibuster, the Democrats could theoretically pass the motion to suspend or raise the debt ceiling via a budget-reconciliation process, under which a simple majority is required to pass the bill. Scott believes that the Democrats are avoiding this because they fear the possible political repercussions of what could come next.

"They must have a big concern that they don’t want to do this on their own. It’ll hurt their campaigns."

Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott  - Sputnik International
Rick Scott
Republican Senator
A CNN report from 22 September suggests that there is a limit to Democrats' determination to bring the GOP into the fold on raising the debt ceiling. According to the broadcaster, the party has already started considering unilateral action to prevent the US from hitting the debt ceiling.
At the same time, the only politician who remains silent on the issue is President Joe Biden, whose infrastructure bill ambitions are one reason the GOP refuses to work with the Democrats on raising the debt ceiling. It is all the more strange considering that he dealt with a similar issue himself – back in 2011 he played a central role in the Barack Obama administration's efforts to raise the ceiling.
The U.S. Treasury building is seen in Washington, September 29, 2008.  - Sputnik International, 1920, 21.07.2021
World
US Government Will Run Out of Money By October-November if Debt Ceiling Not Raised, CBO Says
Then, it cost the Democrats a reduction of the budget deficit and spending cuts, as well as, apparently, a couple of grey hairs for Obama who swore never to negotiate the increase again in his life. But the price of a victory was historically high for the US economy – for the first time in its history the country's credit rating was briefly downgraded over fears of a default.
Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала