“I don’t like it, and I’m not going to vote for it,” Barton said on Wednesday. “We don’t even know how much the president’s request for the debt ceiling is going to be. We’re literally being asked right now to sign a blank check.”But that's not nearly as controversial as what's behind it-- an attempt by Schumer and Trump to abolish the whole idea of these annual debt ceiling voters that Republican terrorists can use for their legislative tantrums and hostage-taking.
Ahead of the Senate’s vote, Dallas Rep. Jeb Hensarling, chairman of the Financial Services Committee, said that recent hurricane damage is a true emergency, but that he wants the “opportunity to propose offsets, a number of which can easily be found in President Trump’s budget.”
“Rebuilding, as important as it is, should not go through an emergency funding process that exacerbates our dangerous and unstable national debt,” he said in a statement.
Cruz, a deficit hawk who has repeatedly voted against raising the nation's borrowing limit, said it was a "mistake to cynically tie hurricane relief to the debt ceiling."
"I wish that had not been done, and as as result, an awful lot of members will vote against it," he said on Thursday, after voting in favor of the measure. "We’re going to get it done but it was counter-productive to tie the two together."
..."It's a horrible position for us to have been put in," said Austin Rep. Roger Williams, a conservative who said he believes adding to the national debt is "morally wrong."
But he will "probably" vote for it, he said. "Because I have to. I have to take care of my fellow Texans."
North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said many of the group's members, including Barton, were expected to oppose the measure. He predicted anywhere from 100 to 150 Republicans would vote against it, but that it would still easily pass in the 435-member House.
Yesterday the Washington Post reported that several sources were confirming that Schumer and Trump have agreed to pursue a deal that would permanently remove the requirement that Congress repeatedly raise the debt ceiling. Schumer is hoping to have the deal in hand by December. Ryan has said he is oppose dot the idea.
On Thursday, Trump was asked by a reporter at the White House about abolishing the congressional process for raising the debt ceiling. He replied that "there are lots of good reasons to do that."
"It could be discussed," Trump said. "For many years, people have been talking about getting rid of [the] debt ceiling altogether."
He confirmed during the exchange with reporters at the White House that the issue was discussed during his meeting with congressional leaders on Wednesday.
...Many conservatives view regular debt-ceiling votes as an opportunity to drive their message that the country continues to rack up debt, which they consider a dangerous trend that could eventually damage the U.S. economy. The issue is also one of a handful of must-pass bills that Congress has at times used to win concessions on fiscal policy issues. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was one of several Senate conservatives who said abandoning that power would be misguided.
When asked if he supports what Trump and Schumer are trying to do, Cruz was apoplectic, which reminded observers of his last stand as a candidate-- in Indiana-- when he told a Trump supporter that "if Trump becomes president, he has said on the Supreme Court, he is going to cut a deal with Chuck Schumer. Trump is a New York liberal who is lying to you and taking advantage of you."
And Cruz isn't the only far right extremist blowing a gasket. Jenny Beth Martin, a prominent teabagger called it "a fool’s play, a trap, and Republicans should reject it out of hand." Virginia neo-Nazi leader Ken Cuccinelli, who heads the Senate Conservatives Fund, was shrieking that Miss McConnell "must be replaced, the Senate leadership must be replaced, and the same goes for the House." Ryan is imploring everyone who asks him to avoid a food fight.
A new poll from Politico by Morning Consult found that Republican voters are less likely to support their member of Congress if they backed Mitch McConnell to remain on as majority leader. Just 28% of Republican voters said they’d be more likely to vote for a member of Congress who supported McConnell. 30% of registered GOP voters said they’d be less likely.
They're not repealing it. They're making a number into a bigger number.
ReplyDeleteThe reason this must happen is americans cannot add.
The secondary reason is American billionaires will not allow themselves to be taxed.
The tertiary reason this must happen is congress needs a reason to threaten a shutdown in order to pass anything.
and, of course, voters are imbeciles.
Our federal debt is currently at about 150% of GDP (23 trillion-ish). Allowing that to become bigger is NOT a good thing, except that it allows our government to continue to function, as it were. ICE will continue to round up brown people. Wars will continue. Climate will continue to change. Oil companies will continue to cash checks. Banks will continue to be allowed to commit crimes. Stagnant SSI checks will continue to be cut. Paltry Medicaid reimbursements will still be slow, but they'll be coming. And, soon, the DOJ will start jailing legal mj users in several states. Can't impede all that can we?
As you heave a sigh of relief that another shutdown is avoided, just remember that the deeper the debt, the more horrific the crash that will be unavoidable.