[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 165 (Thursday, September 23, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6632-S6633]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           Government Funding

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, Republicans are shining a spotlight on 
the reckless taxing-and-spending spree that Washington Democrats are 
writing behind closed doors. The radical left is pushing in all their 
chips. They want to use this terrible but temporary pandemic as a 
Trojan horse for permanent socialism. And President Biden, who ran as a 
unifying moderate, is either powerless to stop them or does not wish 
to.
  An avalanche--an avalanche--of crushing tax hikes that would hurt 
families and would help China; a government power grab over more of 
Americans' healthcare decisions, childcare choices, family finances, 
and daily lives; trillions upon trillions more in government spending 
when families are already facing inflation--none of this, of course, 
will get a single Republican vote in either Chamber.
  Democrats have not even consulted us. They haven't tried to earn our 
votes. From the start, they have planned to use a party-line, fast-
track process to ram through the Senate this version of their vision of 
America.
  That is why Republicans will not help this unified Democratic 
government with its basic duty to raise the debt ceiling. This could 
not be simpler. If they want to tax, borrow, and spend historic sums of 
money without our input, they will have to raise the debt limit without 
our help.
  This is the reality. I have been saying this very clearly since July, 
and I think our Democratic colleagues are finally getting it because 
now they are fumbling for bogus excuses. They remain confident they can 
spend trillions of dollars to remake the entire economy in a couple of 
weeks, but, supposedly, they just cannot clear this much smaller 
procedural hurdle without Republican help. Really? Give me a break.
  Earlier this year, Senate Democrats specifically requested and 
received extra flexibility around the reconciliation process. They have 
every procedural tool they need to promptly advance a separate stand-
alone piece of legislation addressing the debt limit without a single 
Republican vote. Our colleagues have plenty of time to get this done. 
It is laughable--laughable--to hear some Democrats claiming they simply 
don't have enough time.
  Last month, Democrats introduced a sweeping budget resolution on 
August 9 and passed it before sunrise on August 11--3 days. Our 
Democratic colleagues have about a month--a month--plenty of time to do 
their job as a unified government and protect the full faith and credit 
of the United States.
  The Democratic chairman of the House Budget Committee admitted last 
weekend that Democrats could--could--tackle the debt limit alone, but 
they just don't want to. Some Senate

[[Page S6633]]

Democrats have said similar things. This may be inconvenient for them, 
but it is totally possible. And this Democratic government must not 
manufacture an avoidable crisis for the sake of their own convenience.
  Senate Democrats know what they need to do. Let me lay it out. They 
will need to write a short resolution amending their previous budget 
resolution with new debt limit instructions. You have to take that to 
the Budget Committee, which will probably deadlock, so they will vote 
to discharge it like they have done for other bills and nominations.
  Then a vote to proceed on the floor, a limited vote-a-rama, and a 
vote on final passage. And then, once the budget has been amended, 
House and Senate Democrats will use the same fast-track process on a 
short and simple bill to actually raise the debt limit.
  This won't be a multiweek process. It is probably about a week of the 
Senate's time or a little more. And they won't have to wait on their 
reckless taxing-and-spending spree either. They can move a stand-alone 
debt limit bill all on its own.
  I understand our Democratic colleagues may feel inconvenienced by 
this. I understand this may slightly delay their partisan bill, but 
that is a complaint. That is a complaint, not an excuse.
  We have a unified Democratic government that has decided to govern 
alone. They cannot put partisan ambitions ahead of basic duties. The 
party-line authors of this reckless taxing-and-spending spree will be 
the party-line owners of raising the debt limit.