Washington, October 11 (BNA): The backlog of important legislation at the end of the year and its attendant brinkmanship is normal congressional behavior. This fall, lawmakers are heading into a dead-end battle for the dangers they pose to both parties and their leaders.
Although there is little doubt that Congress will extend the government’s borrowing authority again when it expires in December, no one seems sure how to do it. Democrats don’t have the votes yet to enact President Joe Biden’s priorities into law. Republicans fear that Democrats may weaken the obstruction rule that allows the Senate minority party to derail the legislation, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Miscalculate and there could be a catastrophic federal backwardness, the collapse of Biden’s domestic agenda, and, for good measure, a devastating government shutdown. Pique the interest of lawmakers already on their nerves looking to solve problems in next year’s midterm elections, a recipe for confrontations that could harm every party if leaders aren’t careful.
The eye of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, fell last week. Then he said he would never blink again.
McConnell has said since the summer that Republicans will not provide the Democratic majority votes needed to extend the federal debt limit. But Thursday night, 11 Republicans including McConnell joined Democrats in narrowly overcoming a procedural hurdle so the Senate could later approve $480 billion in new borrowing.
Voting has stalled until December for the first-ever federal default that could disrupt the global economy, delay government checks on Social Security recipients and others, and unleash voter discontent with lawmakers.
But the partisan feud will resume within two months.
Republicans want Democrats to raise the debt ceiling themselves to underscore their argument that Biden’s multibillion-dollar social and environmental agenda is unsustainable. Democrats want Republicans to put their stamp on the borrowing limit, arguing that the $28 trillion national debt is for unpaid bills already incurred, including $7 trillion under former President Donald Trump.
By allowing the fight to be postponed for two months, McConnell angered Republicans who wanted to take a tougher line against Democrats including Trump, who remain a fearsome force in the GOP. Even Senator Lindsey Graham, a member of the House of Representatives, a regular McConnell ally, called it a “complete capitulation.”
Showing prevailing political sensitivities, eight of the 11 Republicans who helped Democrats on Thursday agree to increase the debt limit are either retiring or not seeking re-election until 2024 or later.
On Friday night, McConnell said he would “never provide such assistance again,” citing “serious concerns” about the Democrats’ massive domestic bill and the “hysteria” of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y. More on that later.
Come December, we must give something. But it is unclear how that will happen, and the stakes will be high for leaders to ensure that the partisan stare does not get out of hand.
Biden’s agenda
Democratic and centrist progressives are fighting over the ultimate size and contents of Biden’s proposed $3.5 trillion package of social safety nets, climate change and 10-year tax initiatives. And the longer their battles rage, the greater the risk that the party will let the struggles themselves determine the effort, distracting from the popular programs they hope to include.
Because of Senate moderates like Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kirsten Sinema of Arizona, Biden admitted that the final price would likely be much lower, around $2 trillion. Funds earmarked for priorities such as the environment, healthcare and education should shrink accordingly.
Faced with unanimous Republican opposition and a paperless congressional majority, Democrats will need near-unanimity to succeed. The political consequences for Democrats would be alarming if Biden’s top-priority bill, along with an accompanying trillion-dollar infrastructure package, collapses as his party takes over the White House and Congress.
“I hope to God that’s not the case,” Bernie Sanders, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said Friday. He predicted that both projects would pass but admitted the “terrible possibility” of failure.
File Concerns
Democrats are becoming increasingly open to the idea of weakening the blocking measures, Senate actions that have allowed Republicans to wreak legislative havoc by requiring 60 votes in the 50-50 House to pass most bills. Manchin and Cinema have said they oppose the change, which frustrates that option.
GOP leaders worry that if the standoff over debt limits is on the verge of default, Schumer may be able to convince Manchin and Cinema to support erasing the disruptions in order to raise the debt limit. This may subsequently lead to additional exceptions to voting rights or other Democratic priorities.
Senator Kevin Kramer, a Republican, said these concerns are the “most obvious challenge” for Republicans in calculating how stubborn they are in the face of the debt limit.
sour mood
Congress is a furious place these days. Four years of Trump’s belligerent presidency, the deadly January 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters, and the high stakes for Democrats pushing Biden’s programs have all taken their toll.
Tense relationships are everywhere.
Manchin said Wednesday that he does not want the Democrats’ massive domestic program bill, of which Sanders is a lead author, to make the United States a “deserving community.”
Sanders criticized Manchin’s desire to limit climate change and provide health care in the bill. “Does Senator Manchin not believe that our children and grandchildren have a right to live in a healthy and habitable country and world?” Sanders asked.
The two represent opposite ends of the Democrats’ political spectrum. However, it was an unusual public display of internal disagreements, and at a crucial moment.
RAE