The debt ceiling bill appears to be on track for Senate approval. The question is, when? Leadership hopes to get it done before the weekend of June 2, but attempts to make amendments could add days to the process.
“One senator can stop the train, 99 senators have to wait,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said. “I just hope that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will be mindful of the fact that we need to do this for the good of our economy.”
The Senate is a chamber of rules and procedures. As Durbin alluded to, any one member can use that to their advantage if they don’t like what is being considered.
The most well known delay tactic is the filibuster. But that can be overcome with 60 votes and has not been discussed for this bill.
In this case, a delay would come in the form of amendment votes. But members have officially been warned against that.
“So any needless delay, any last minute brinkmanship at this point would be an unacceptable risk,” Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer D-N.Y.
But Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., may still move to get a vote on his proposal to increase the debt limit by only $500 billion, not the unlimited, two-year increase as it currently stands. It would also set new caps on spending through 2028.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., wants the Mountain Valley Pipeline project approval, which Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., pushed for, removed.
There are also bipartisan concerns about the defense budget. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island., said he needs to get around the $860 billion dollar spending cap, likely by passing a supplemental bill. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said it is $50 billion dollars short of where it needs to be just to keep up with inflation.
“We’re funding defense below inflation, under this proposal it’s going to be impossible for the Navy to grow, it will actually shrink,” Graham told reporters.
When asked by Straight Arrow News if he’d try to delay it, Graham responded, “we’ll see.”
The Senate’s approval needs to be as smooth as possible, otherwise it runs the risk of hitting or going over the June 5 X date for a default.
If the chamber makes any changes to the bill, it goes back to the House for another vote. So while there are Senators talking about amendments, others are speaking out against that.
“I’ve never been a big one for delaying just for the sake of delay. So we’ll see if we have a real amendment process over here. I kind of doubt we will,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said.
“Make your points, give the speeches, let’s just get it done. Let’s vote. You can vote against it,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said.
The Senate can proceed very quickly when it has unanimous consent, so if all members agree to keep things moving they could be done by the weekend.
