Former President Trump eviscerated Sen. Mitch McConnell for agreeing with Democrats on a temporary debt ceiling. The sudden shift of McConnell placed the Republican Party in a bind.
Trump slammed McConnell for backing out of the standoff with Democrats
On Saturday, former President Trump slammed the Senate Minority Leader for yielding to the Senate Democrats; some GOP lawmakers also accused the senator of backing out of his standoff with Senate Democrats.
The remarks against McConnell were made by Trump during a rally at Des Moines, Iowa. Trump appeared together with Senator Chuck Grassley, Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and Republican Governor Kim Reynolds.
Trump tears into McConnell over debt ceiling deal with Democrats https://t.co/UdE5vf2WpV
— CBS46 (@cbs46) October 11, 2021
During his speech, the former president talked about McConnell’s proposed debt ceiling deal; Trump emphasized how 11 Republican senators (including the Senate Minority Leader) voted for the extension of the country’s debt limit up until early December.
The GOP votes were made in order to overcome the filibuster to help the measure push through. Trump then mentioned how he couldn’t believe there were 11 Republicans in the Senate, including McConnell, who voted for the extension.
Trump then explained what the extension does is give the Democrat Party two more months to figure out how they can go against Republican lawmakers in the Senate.
It can be noted that on Thursday, the Senate voted to extend the country’s debt limit, with a vote of 50-48. The results happened despite three meetings where Republicans stood their ground ahead of the vote.
The votes from 11 GOP senators broke the effort of the Republican Party to maintain unity
The votes made by 11 Republican senators undermined the long prized effort of Republican lawmakers to keep their unity, amidst high-profile battles with Democrats. It likewise happened at the same time when Republicans are questioning McConnell’s moves.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s last-minute debt limit deal with Democrats has left many conservatives wondering whether the master of upper chamber maneuvers has lost his political touch.
https://t.co/w0mIb8BVFc— Newsmax (@newsmax) October 11, 2021
On the other hand, the Senate Minority Leader defended his strategy, noting it is necessary in order to make sure the Democrat Party will not be taking any steps that could weaken the filibuster rules. The filibuster in the Senate give the minority party the proper power to destroy the agenda of the majority.
Meanwhile, Republican Senator John Kennedy stated he was extremely disappointed with McConnell’s decision to yield to the whims of Democrats and push for the short-term debt ceiling extension under regular procedures.
Senator Ted Cruz also called McConnell’s move a “serious mistake.” Senator Lindsay Graham likewise complained, stating the Republican Party had a plan and McConnell threw it overboard.
Following weeks of the partisan impasse over the issue, the Senate Majority Leader announced a debt limit deal was reached. An aide who is familiar with the ongoing negotiations reported the agreement will increase the debt ceiling of the U.S. by $480 billion.
McConnell also maintains Republicans won’t help Democrats again with the debt ceiling once it runs out in December 2021.
