GOP disappointment with McConnell deal could delay vote

Senate Republicans take a close look at the debt limit deal announced Thursday morning between the Senate Majority Leader Charles SchumerChuck Schumer’s Supreme Court is not political – and reverse Roe v. Wade would not allow Democrats to seek to make debt ceiling a winning issue Senate Republicans’ campaign arm raises more than $ 1 million in third quarter MORE (DN.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch mcconnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellGraham Opposes Increase In Short-Term Debt, Warns Of Being “Held Hostage” To Obstruct Schumer Debt Increase Talks -McConnell spills Thursday night at Defense and National Security – Pentagon leaders in Congress: Don’t default MORE (R-Ky.), And a group of conservatives are complaining to their colleagues that the GOP leader has given Democrats an easy way out.

Several Republican Senate sources said their caucus members were “surprised and disappointed” when McConnell unveiled the parameters of the deal with Schumer on Wednesday.

GOP senator said “you could hear a fly fly” when McConnell shared details of his plan to allow Democrats to raise the debt ceiling to “a fixed number” without going through the arduous amendment process of Budget Resolution 2022 and holding many of the time-consuming Senate votes.

His. Kevin CramerKevin John Cramer Schumer-McConnell debt escalation talks extend Thursday Senate GOP seeks bipartisan panel to investigate withdrawal from Afghanistan (RN.D.) said some of his GOP colleagues were puzzled because 46 Senate Republicans signed a letter in August warning Schumer that they “would not vote to raise the debt ceiling, whether that increase was the fact of a stand-alone bill, a continuing resolution, or any other vehicle.

“I’m not surprised that they’re a little surprised and disappointed, because of course 46 Republicans signed a letter saying they wouldn’t vote for a raise,” he said. “I think they feel like maybe we could have grown a bit longer.”

“The problem is, the Republican members feel like we’re blinking and blinking a little earlier than necessary,” he added.

He said the next weeklong Columbus Day hiatus, which is set to begin this weekend, “likely entered the math” to strike a deal.

“It’s not trivial because people have projects and all that but separate plans, your plans to go to CODEL [congressional delegation trip] are not the highest priority, it’s government, ”Cramer noted. “I think some people wanted to get closer [to the deadline] and I feel like we blinked too soon.

But Cramer also championed the McConnell deal as a “smart” way out of a tight spot with the debt limit looming.

McConnell won a significant political victory by forcing Democrats to vote to raise the debt limit instead of simply voting to suspend it until a later date.

Schumer wanted to suspend the debt ceiling until December 2022, and vulnerable members of his caucus will now have to vote again in December.

But old President TrumpDonald TrumpGraham Opposes Rising Short-Term Debt, Warns Of Being “Held Hostage” To Obstruct Facebook Whistleblower To Meet Jan 6 Committee : Report 44% of Republicans want Trump to run again in 2024: PLUS poll, who many Senate Republicans say still wields enormous influence in the party, immediately criticized the deal.

Internal Republican discontent is expected to delay the vote on the deal for at least a few hours or until Friday or Saturday.

“There are raw feelings, so it may be late,” Sen said. Ben cardinBenjamin (Ben) Louis Cardin Senate Democrats launch filibuster exclusion for debt ceiling Democrats pour cold water on Manchin’s .5T price Lawmakers say innovation and business rules are the key to small business gains PLUS (D-Md.), Who said he was feeling complaints from the “Republican side.”

A Republican senator described Sen. Lindsey grahamLindsey Olin Graham Graham opposes increasing short-term debt and warns against being “held hostage” by filibuster. (RS.C.) as “apoplexic”.

Graham, a close ally of Trump, released a statement Wednesday evening saying he does not support Democrats’ spending plans and “does not support raising the debt ceiling to make this level of spending possible.”

Schumer tabled a motion Thursday to end debate on the debt limit deal, which means Tory critics could drag the process out until Saturday if they refuse to give up time.

Schumer then called on senators to vote on a motion to fire a candidate from the committee, giving McConnell the opportunity to persuade his GOP colleagues to agree to let the debt deal go by Friday.

“We whip for a [unanimous consent agreement]otherwise we’re screwed and could be here until Saturday, ”said another GOP senator who requested anonymity to describe the internal discussions.

The biggest downside to the deal, disappointed Republicans believe, is that their conference will split over a procedural vote on extending the debt limit to the floor by two months for an upward vote or on the decline.

Republicans have said for months that they will not provide Democrats with any help to raise the debt ceiling, especially as Democrats are working on a $ 3.5 trillion human infrastructure package that would raise taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars.

But now they face the prospect of having to vote on a closure motion to bypass the filibuster so Democrats can pass increasing the short-term debt limit with a simple majority vote.

At least 10 Republicans must vote for the procedural motion to pave the way for legislation that would raise the debt limit by $ 480 billion, which is enough to cover the U.S. government’s financial obligations through January 3 .

By lunchtime Thursday, it looked like McConnell might struggle to muster enough Republican votes to bypass an obstruction and let the two-month debt limit increase hit bottom, which Democrats would then pass. themselves.

Members of the GOP Senate leadership team, including the Senate Minority Whip John ThuneJohn Randolph Thune McConnell Takes Democrats Deal to Resolve Debt Deadlock US On Track To Miss Debt Payments As Of October 19: Analysis (RS.D.) and Chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee Roy BluntRoy Dean BluntOvernight Health Care – Presented by EMAA – Collins to Resign as Director of NIH Democrats want McConnell’s GOP to feel pain at debt ceiling Ex-Rep. Akin dies at 74 ADDITIONAL (R-Mo.), Said they had yet to decide how to vote and wanted to take a closer look at the deal.

His. John cornynJohn Cornyn On the money – Democrats look at Biden’s agenda Senate confirms Chopra will lead Office of Consumer Financial Protection Abbott bows to pressure from Trump over election audit in Texas PLUS (R-Texas), an adviser to McConnell, said Senate Republicans will try to come to an agreement in their conference to ignore the closing vote altogether, so that no Republican votes are cast to help Democrats.

“Is anyone excited about this deal?” Sometimes you have to do things you don’t get excited about to avoid something even worse, ”he said, referring to the possibility of a national default.

“I hope we can avoid the closing vote and so this is a conversation we can have at lunch because I don’t see the point in doing it other than delaying the inevitable,” he said. .

National Republican Senate Committee Chairman Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Who has openly expressed concerns about the growing federal deficit, however said he expects there to be a threshold of 60 votes to advance the debt agreement.

“There will be a closing vote,” he said.

Updated at 4:21 p.m.