McConnell Backs Up McCarthy on Biden's Debt Ceiling Games

Katie Pavlich | April 17, 2023 4:45 PM

Speaking for the first time on the Senate floor after recovering from a fall in March, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell blasted President Joe Biden for continuing his refusal to negotiate a debt ceiling increase.

"I’m very happy to be back," McConnell said. “There’s important business for Congress to tackle. We should be working to undo this Administration’s mistakes. We need to secure the border, reduce crime, fight inflation, and invest in America’s strength and security."

.@LeaderMcConnell (R-KY): "It's good to be back. I want to thank all my colleagues for their warm wishes shared over the past few weeks. Suffice it to say, this wasn't the first that being hardheaded has served me very well." pic.twitter.com/CMGC7qPjUl
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 17, 2023

“On an even more basic level, President Biden and his Administration are ‘on the clock’ to negotiate a debt ceiling solution with Speaker McCarthy and the Republican majority in the House. The President’s economic advisors say the deadline for a solution is not far off. But his political advisors apparently think the White House’s position should be no talks and no reforms. This extreme position is not even holding up in their own party. Even Washington Democrats are breaking ranks from the Administration’s position of no talks and no reforms," he continued. “Just a few years ago, the Democratic Leader, Leader Schumer, said this about the debt ceiling. He said it, ‘gives another ample opportunity for bipartisanship, not for one party jamming its choices down the throats of the other. President Biden does not get to stick his fingers in his ears and refuse to listen, talk, or negotiate. And the American people know that. The White House needs to stop wasting time and start negotiating with Speaker McCarthy.”