Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell backed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday in the burgeoning standoff with President Biden over the federal debt limit.
Mr. McConnell, Kentucky Republican, said the White House should begin negotiations with Mr. McCarthy and that there was no path toward raising the debt limit without the House GOP.
“I think the speaker has done a wonderful job of unifying our side,” said Mr. McConnell. “I want to disabuse any of you of the notion that there’s any measure clearing the Senate with 60 votes that could be approved by this House.”
Mr. McConnell’s comments came as House Republicans were readying to pass legislation to raise the debt limit by $1.5 trillion until May 2024 in exchange for $4.8 trillion in spending cuts.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer has said the legislation is dead on arrival in the Democratic-run Senate. Instead, Mr. Schumer has urged Republicans to drop demands for spending cuts and pass a clean debt limit bill.
“No brinkmanship, no hostage-taking,” said Mr. Schumer, New York Democrat. “Just a clean debt ceiling bill, that’s how it’s always been done.”
Mr. McConnell dismissed such calls, saying the American people had elected a Republican House to rein in government spending. The Kentucky Republican added that Mr. Biden needed to come to grips with the reality of a divided Congress and start negotiating.
“This agreement needs to be reached,” said Mr. McConnell. “And the agreement needs to be reached between the speaker and the president.”
• Haris Alic can be reached at halic@washingtontimes.com.
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