Today, in a procedural vote, Senate Republicans blocked legislation to raise the debt limit — risking a default on our nation’s debt and causing catastrophic damage to the economy. DNC spokesperson Adonna Biel released the following statement:

“Today’s vote is incredibly damning for Senate Republicans who try to paint themselves as the party of fiscal responsibility. Instead of doing their duty and raising the debt limit, as was done on a bipartisan basis for decades, Senate Republicans have chosen to play politics with the economy with no regard for the consequences. 

“Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans don’t care if it costs 6 million Americans their jobs, stops Social Security payments, or wipes out trillions of dollars in wealth for families – they’ve made clear they would run the country into the ground just to have a shot at scoring political points. Playing games with Americans’ livelihoods and our country’s economic stability is disgusting and a dereliction of duty – and something Americans won’t forget anytime soon.”

Let’s take a look at Senate Republicans’ blatant hypocrisy on the debt ceiling and what people are saying:

• Washington Post: “Opinion: The nation faces financial calamity. Republicans will be to blame.”
• American Enterprise Institute’s Michael Strain: “Republicans Are Playing a Dangerous Game With Debt”
• Then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2017 via CNBC: “‘There is zero chance — no chance — we won’t raise the debt ceiling. No chance. America’s not going to default. And we’ll get the job done in conjunction with the secretary of the Treasury.’”
• Washington Post: “Senate Republicans on Wednesday threatened to vote against an increase to the debt ceiling unless Congress first agrees to new spending cuts or other measures […] The new ultimatum marked a reversal for Republicans, who agreed to address the debt ceiling — the statutory amount the government can borrow to pay its bills — multiple times to advance policies under President Donald Trump that helped add $7 trillion to the federal debt during his term.”
• CBS News: “Democrats joined Republicans three times during the Trump administration to raise the ceiling, calling it ‘Trump debt.’ The national debt was just under $20 trillion when President Donald Trump took office and more than $27 trillion when he left office earlier this year.”
• Burgess Everett, Politico: “McConnell says GOP will vote to fund government but will not ‘relieve’ Democrats of responsibility to raise debt ceiling

  “‘The debt ceiling will be raised as it always should be, but it will be raised by the Democrats’”