In a letter to Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a group of 43 Republicans in the Senate stated their opposition to voting on a bill that only raises the U.S. debt ceiling without addressing other priorities, demonstrating their ability to thwart such a Democratic plan.
The Republicans, led by Senator Mike Lee and including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, claimed that “substantive spending and budget reforms” should be “a starting point” for talks because of the “in free fall” state of the economy.
Requests for comment from the offices of McConnell, Schumer, and other lawmakers were not immediately fulfilled.
The letter was not signed by a number of moderate senators, including Mitt Romney and Lisa Murkowski. The vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and another moderate Republican, Senator Susan Collins, .
Schumer said this week that the Senate might consider a bill that only raises the debt ceiling without addressing other Republican priorities. With only a 51-49 majority in the Senate, Schumer would need the support of at least nine Republicans to clear a 60-vote threshold to advance such legislation.
The latest Senate Republican letter shows the party could block a so-called “clean” debt ceiling bill.
The House in late April passed a bill to raise the government’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling that includes sweeping spending cuts over the next decade.
However, that measure is not expected to pass in the Senate and would be vetoed by Biden if it did.
