Schumer dares 'unhinged' GOP to block debt limit bill up for Monday vote

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer dared Republicans to block a critical debt limit and government spending bill that is up for a vote late Monday afternoon.

“There is no scenario in God's green Earth where it should be worth risking millions of jobs, trillions in household wealth, people's social security checks, veterans benefits, and another recession, just to score short-term meaningless political points,” the New York Democrat warned in a Senate Floor speech on Monday. “That's what Republicans seem fixated on doing.”

Senate Republicans said they would not provide the votes needed to advance legislation to raise the debt ceiling and provide temporary federal funding.

Republicans want Democrats to de-link the two spending measures because they staunchly oppose raising the debt limit while Democrats plot to pass up to $3.5 trillion in new spending on social welfare programs that the GOP opposes.

“There is no chance Republicans will help lift Democrats’ credit limit so they can immediately steamroll through a socialist binge that will hurt families and help China,” the Kentucky Republican said.

Democrats refuse to back down, engaging in a fiscal standoff with the GOP — calculating Republicans will be hurt politically by pushing the nation over a fiscal cliff.

The fiscal year ends on Thursday, and unless Congress passes stopgap spending, a partial government shutdown will occur.

Congress must also act to raise the nation’s borrowing limit.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned House and Senate leaders the nation would run out of mo... (Read more)

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