[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 169 (Tuesday, September 28, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S6713]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                               Debt Limit

  Now, taking a step back, Mr. President, we need to remember we didn't 
need to be in this position at all. We could have been well on our way 
to resolving these avoidable crises last night. The debt ceiling has 
been raised 80 times over the past 60 years under both Democratic and 
Republican Presidents, under both unified and divided government.
  Ten years ago, Republican opposition to extending the debt ceiling 
was considered a fringe, a radical idea. The Republican Speaker at the 
time called the notion of holding the debt ceiling hostage to political 
ends ``insanity.''
  The Republican leader himself 2 years ago said we needed to raise the 
debt ceiling because ``America can't default,'' otherwise that would be 
a disaster. His words.
  Well, after last night, it is clear ``insanity'' and ``disaster'' are 
now the Republican Party line, and it is endangering the very bedrock 
upon which both our economic viability and financial credibility stand.
  I hope that our Republican colleagues can walk us back from the ledge 
in a few hours, but it is a sad state of affairs to see one of 
America's two major political parties so casually, so gleefully playing 
with the livelihoods of tens of millions of Americans, all for 
basically a cheap political goal.
  Democrats, meanwhile, are not going to abscond from these core 
responsibilities. Keeping the government open and preventing default is 
vital to our country's future, and Democrats are going to make sure we 
do not lapse on either, in spite of the dangerous path Republicans have 
chosen to take us on.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.