They’ll slow things down….
That will make Sen. Manchin and Republican’s Happy….
(McConnell spoke directly to Democrats Manchin and Sinema)
And Progressives taking a back seat…..
Democrats accepted the deal because “Mitch McConnell finally saw the light” on offering a solution that could pass quickly, said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
“We’re going to raise the debt ceiling and we’re going to go on and pass infrastructure,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.). “We’re never going to do it through reconciliation.”
Democrats’ decision tees up a vote as soon as Thursday on the short-term debt patch. It also sets the stage for a year-end convergence of Congress’ major fiscal agenda items, with government funding currently set to expire on Dec. 3. After weeks of partisan jostling over GOP resistance to a stand-alone debt hike that Democrats warned put the nation at risk of default, the impasse appears to have ended in a pause rather than a resolution — as both sides claimed victory.
“We have to see the final wording on the offer … we view this as a temporary victory,“ Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) said.
McConnell first discussed his debt ceiling offer with moderate Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona in phone calls earlier Wednesday, according to multiple people familiar with the calls. The two hold the keys to the future of the filibuster and shortly after Manchin announced he did not support altering the filibuster for the debt ceiling….
Update….
Senate passes temporary debt ceiling deal
The Senate voted 50-48 on Thursday night, passing an agreement to raise the federal debt limit by $480 billion through Dec. 3. The bill now goes to the House, where there is a clear Democratic majority.
Why it matters: The deal, struck early Thursday by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), would avert the threat of the U.S. defaulting on its debt as of Oct. 18. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had warned that unprecedented move could trigger a recession and have global ramifications.
- Republican Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) — a mix of moderates, retirees and leadership — joined McConnell in helping reach the 60-vote threshold to invoke cloture and move the Senate toward a floor vote. Cloture passed 61-38.
- Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), who is not running for re-election, didn’t vote.
Schumer, after the vote, announced: “Republicans played a dangerous and risky partisan game, and I am glad that their brinksmanship did not work.”…
And?
McConnell gets some grief….
Mitch McConnell Faces GOP Rebellion
Punchbowl News: “McConnell and the GOP leadership struggled all afternoon to round up the 10 votes they need to end a Republican filibuster of the debt-limit legislation, which extends the Treasury Department’s borrowing authority until Dec. 3.”
“This is very un-McConnell like. The deal McConnell cut with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer guaranteed that he could provide the votes to break a filibuster or, alternatively, convince his colleagues to allow Democrats to lift the cap with 50 votes. Despite an afternoon of whipping by the leadership, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rand Paul (R-KY) still insisted on 60 votes, therefore forcing Republican leadership to find 10 GOP lawmakers to vote for cloture.”
“McConnell doesn’t typically enter into a pact like this with the other party without having his votes locked down. It looks like McConnell will get there in the end, but it ain’t been easy.”
Meanwhile, the Washington Post quotes former President Trump: “Looks like Mitch McConnell is folding to the Democrats, again. He’s got all of the cards with the debt ceiling, it’s time to play the hand. Don’t let them destroy our Country!”
The vote on the ceiling-raise itself was 50 yea (all D) to 48 nay (all R).
Not voting were Republican Senators Richard Burr of North Carolina (who also did not vote on cloture) and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee (who was among the 38 Republicans to vote against cloture).
Mitt Romney said he would have filibustered raising the debt ceiling.
Well, Mitt, you supported the massive Trump tax cut (and benefited enormously) and Trump’s record breaking spending increases. So Romney worked to dramatically increase the deficit, but sinceThe GOP is no longer in power, he is willing to destroy the economy for his selfish and disgraceful purposes.
Yep, Embracing Trump’s “only suckers pay off their debts” mantra while still wanting to maintain he is anti-Trump
Maybe he is an ATRINO
The same old song…
Republicans only care about the “debt” when a Democrat is in the White House.
Do Republicans really care about anything other than their own job security? Democracy, free enterprise? Ha!
Maybe guns.
ALL Politicians crave power and keeping their job’s….
Yes Keith and Z….
Republicans with Trump take it to a WHOLE NEW RECKLESS level….
They care about power. Every things they have done over the last year has been to make sure they can get and retain power. Everyone should be scared of their voter suppression laws, but, even more so, about their attempts to take vote counting out of the hands of professionals.
I keep asking, anyone doubt that if Pelosi or Pence had been killed that Trump would still be in office? Everything they did was moving that way, it is only because they were so incompetent that they failed.
But, hey, don’t forget, Ted Kennedy once had sex on the floor of a French Restaurant in DC. That started this downfall for sure.