Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) indicated on Monday that he is not concerned about Democrats gaining leverage as a result of their deal with President Donald Trump to raise the debt ceiling and fund the government through mid-December.
“Let’s put it this way,” McConnell told the New York Times podcast “The New Washington.” “The deal is not quite as good as my counterpart thought it was.”
McConnell said that he wrote the legislation to raise the debt ceiling in a way that would allow the Treasury secretary to use “extraordinary measures” and shift government funds around in order to extend the debt ceiling into 2018. Moving a vote on the debt ceiling back a few months would reduce the leverage Democrats have on a deal to fund the government in December. McConnell told the New York Times that he wrote the bill this way over objections from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
“Since I was in charge of drafting the debt ceiling provision that we inserted into the flood bill we likely — almost certainly — are not going to have another debt ceiling discussion until well into 2018,” McConnell told the Times. “One of the advantages of being the majority leader is you control the paper.”
Trump angered conservatives in Congress when he came to an agreement with Democratic leaders last week to tie legislation to raise the debt limit and fund the government through mid-December to funding for Hurricane Harvey. Republicans who believe any debt limit hike should be paired with budget cuts were irked by the deal, as well as by White House officials’ attempt to sell the bill.
Uh-huh… How’s that CROW taste, Yertle?
Oh, McTurtle, you just keep on spinning…
(eye roll)
Mock Turtle says what?
So the GOP’s next debt ceiling crisis will be taking place during the Republican primaries, or even closer to the next general election? Oh, Senator McConnell, please don’t throw us into that briar patch.
I hope I live long enough to see that smirk permanently wiped off the face of that malignant, anti-American mofo. He has done more to destroy the American ideal than anyone on the political scene today, although President* Lying Littledick is doing his best to catch up.
Gotta look on the bright side when things go wrong, little old ant rubber tree plant, all that. Sometimes all you can say is to warn the other guys not to gloat too much. Like when we said having Trump as President might be a mixed blessing for you. At best. So back atcha, pal.