As expected, Democrats are going to have to use Reconciliation to raise the debt ceiling. They don’t want to but the Republicans have decided it’s their best play to jam up the Democrats’ agenda so that’s the way it has to be.
Politico reports:
First, Dems will make one last attempt to avoid having to go the reconciliation route.
— Pelosi said she could bring a clean debt-ceiling increase to the House floor as soon as today.
— Schumer said this morning he’ll ask for unanimous consent to raise the ceiling using a simple majority vote (instead of the typical 60 votes needed to circumvent a filibuster). “If Republicans really want to see the debt ceiling raised without providing a single vote, I’m prepared to have that vote,” he said.
— Their strategy: Make moderate GOP lawmakers squirm by divorcing the debt ceiling from any other partisan priorities — thus depriving them of a shield to explain their “no” votes. Democratic leaders believe that a clean debt-ceiling vote will give them the ability to hammer the GOP for failing totake care of this issue on a bipartisan basis — as has been done for decades — and now setting a new standard by forcing one party to do it alone.
But it appears they’ll have no choice but to resort to reconciliation.
— Sen. TED CRUZ (R-Texas) said this morning that he’ll object to Schumer’s request for unanimous consent, meaning the debt-ceiling vote will not be able to avoid the filibuster unless reconciliation is invoked.
But there seems to be some discord among even Democratic leaders about this approach. Yes, Biden, Pelosi and Schumer discussed using reconciliation Monday, and this morning, House Majority Leader STENY HOYER talked openly about it with reporters. (Read Congress Minutes here about Hoyer.) But …
— The No. 2 Senate Democrat, DICK DURBIN (Ill.), called using reconciliation a “nonstarter” due to the lack of time. (Insert shrug emoji here …)
— Hoyer tweeted out a clarification of his remarks, which raised new questions about the plan of action:“Today I was asked whether reconciliation is an option to address the debt limit. It is certainly not the best option, nor the option we’re pursuing.”
I think Durbin was just operating on the assumption that they’re still publicly trying to pressure Republicans but the writing is on the wall. McConnell and McCarthy are pulling out all the stops to make the passage of Biden’s agenda as painful and difficult as possible. Sadly, some Democrats are more than happy to help them do it which is pathetic. If the Dems worked with one voice — especially if they would eliminate the filibuster, thus solving the debt ceiling crisis right now — the Democrats could have a momentous achievement and make it look easy. Unfortunately, we have a tiny group of Divas who have decided that helping this lunatic cult is in their political/financial interest and that the country would be better off with the Republican Party led by Donald Trump in charge.
I don’t understand how Republicans can believe that much less Democrats. But here we are. Let’s hope that by some form of persuasion or magic, they are persuaded otherwise.