FLASH: In the dark of the night Senate passes debt bill. 46 Democrats and 17 Republicans vote for McCarthy-Democrat debt increase bill.
After the House passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act, principled limited government constitutional conservative Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah began circulating a letter to
the Senate’s Democrat Leader, 43 Senate Republicans joined Lee in demanding spending and budget reforms before Congress approves an increase in the debt ceiling.
Due to Sen. Lee’s efforts to corral the fractious Senate GOP, Senate Republicans stood firmly behind the principles in the Limit, Save, Grow Act. Here’s Senator Lee’s letter to Senate Democrat Leader, New York Senator Charles Schumer:
Dear Leader Schumer,
The Senate Republican conference is united behind the House Republican conference in support of spending cuts and structural budget reform as a starting point for negotiations on the debt ceiling.
Our economy is in free fall due to unsustainable fiscal policies. This trajectory must be addressed with fiscal reforms. Moreover, recent Treasury projections have reinforced the urgency of addressing the debt ceiling. The House has taken a responsible first step in coming to the table with their proposals. It is imperative that the president now do the same.
As such, we will not be voting for cloture on any bill that raises the debt ceiling without substantive spending and budget reforms.
The letter is signed by Senators Mike Lee, John Barrasso, Marsha Blackburn, John Boozman, Mike Braun, Ted Budd, Shelley Moore Capito, Bill Cassidy, Katie Britt, John Cornyn, Tom Cotton, Mike Crapo, Ted Cruz, Kevin Cramer, Steve Daines, Joni Ernst, Deb Fischer, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Grassley, Bill Hagerty, John Hoeven, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Ron Johnson, James Lankford, Cynthia Lummis, Roger Marshall, Mitch McConnell, Jerry Moran, Markwayne Mullin, Pete Ricketts, James Risch, Marco Rubio, Mike Rounds, Tim Scott, Rick Scott, Eric Schmitt, Dan Sullivan, John Thune, Thom Tillis, Tommy Tuberville, J.D. Vance, Roger Wicker, and Todd Young.
The letter was missing the usual GOP suspects, such as Mitt Romney and Susan Collins, but Lee noted at the time that “we’ve got 43 Republicans who have a signed a letter,” including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, enough to block Democratic legislation on the debt ceiling. Lee said two other Republicans supported the letter but wouldn’t sign “for strategic reasons.”
The letter, which was sent to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, said Senate Republicans backed House Republicans in supporting “spending cuts and structural budget reform as a starting point for negotiations on the debt ceiling.”
In an interview on FOX Business Maria Bartiromo asked Lee if he was confident that McConnell and other Senate Republicans would stand firm. Lee said he expected they would.
“Even if we lost one or two here or there, we’d still be fine,” Lee said, “and I don’t think we’re going to the lose any of them.”
Senator Lee is right, if just 41 Republican Senators stand by the commitment they made when they signed the letter to Schumer the Biden-McCarthy debt ceiling deal will fail to achieve cloture and die.
However, that letter was signed before Speaker McCarthy caved and led 149 Republicans to join Democrats to pass a massive $4 trillion increase in the debt ceiling for virtually no reduction in spending. So, who knows how Senators will view their commitment to support the Limit, Save, Grow Act after McCarthy was rolled in the negotiations with Biden.
At some point tax collections and spending must be harmonized. Joe Biden, Congressional Democrats and their allies in the media claim the debate over the debt ceiling is a “game of chicken,” when in reality it is more akin to “riding the tiger.” They are throwing up a disingenuous smokescreen about default to fool voters into thinking the present “spend – borrow from the Red Chinese – spend even more” system can go on forever.
The Capitol Switchboard is (202-224-3121), call today and tell your Senators that you demand they stick to the commitment they made when they signed the Mike Lee letter supporting the real spending and budget reforms in the Limit, Save, Grow Act. Tell them real spending reform shouldn’t be compromised away, no matter what weak-kneed House leaders do.
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