Senate Dems blast GOP on gov't funding, debt

Senate Democratic leaders blasted their GOP colleagues on funding the government ahead of an expected House vote on the matter Tuesday.

Democratic congressional leaders backed by the White House are pushing ahead as Congress rushes headlong into an all-too-familiar stalemate: The federal government faces a shutdown if funding stops at the end of the fiscal year, Sept. 30. At the same time, the U.S. risks defaulting on its accumulated debt load if the borrowing limits are not waived or adjusted.

The temporary spending bill unveiled Tuesday would fund the government through Dec. 3. It includes $28.6 billion in disaster relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida and other extreme weather events, and $6.3 billion to support Afghanistan evacuees in the fallout from the end of the 20-year war. It would also extend the government's borrowing authority through the end of 2022.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said he’s not about to help pay off past debts when President Joe Biden is about to pile on more with a “reckless” tax and spending package.

The Treasury Department warned that it will soon run out of cash on hand, and have to rely on incoming receipts to pay its obligations, now at $28.4 trillion. That could force the Treasury to delay or miss payments, a devastating situation.

Once a routine matter, raising the debt ceiling has become a political weapon of choice for Republicans in Washington ever since the 2011 arrival of tea party lawmakers who refused to allow it. At the time, they argued against more spending and the standoff triggered a fiscal crisis.

Echoing that strategy, McConnell is refusing to provide Republican votes, even though some GOP senators might have a tough time voting no.

The package being voted on is expected to keep most spending at its current levels on a stopgap basis through the end of the year and include supplemental funds for the aftermath of Hurricane Ida and other natural disasters, as well as money to help defray the evacuations from Afghanistan. Tacking on legislative language to allow more borrowing would cover the nation’s debt payments through 2022.

With Republicans opposed in lockstep to Biden's sweeping vision, Democrats have no votes to spare in the Senate, and just a few votes' margin in the House.