10.04.21

Durbin To McConnell: Republicans Are Playing With Fire By Imposing A Filibuster On Raising The Debt Ceiling

“I would say to Senator McConnell, understand Senate 101. Your filibuster is stopping the extension of the debt ceiling.”

WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today called out Senate Republicans, whose stonewalling tactics are led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), for their continued obstruction of suspending the debt ceiling to prevent the federal government from defaulting on the national debt.

“It’s no great revelation that with 50 Democrats, we would need 10 Republicans. The Senate Republican Leader has made it clear he isn’t giving us a vote, not one. So we’ve come to a standstill. We’re two weeks away from a default. For the first time in the history of the United States, we would default on our debt” said Durbin.

He continued, “Are we going to acknowledge the debt of the United States to its creditors, far and wide, and continue the business of this economy and this government? The Republicans say no… Their filibuster stops this… It really troubles me that we’re at a point in our history, recovering from this pandemic. Businesses are getting back on their feet. Employees need to get back to work, and the Republicans have taken this strategy of defaulting on the national debt.”

Durbin went on to note the consequences of defaulting on the national debt for the first time in U.S. history.

“I would say to Senator McConnell, understand Senate 101. Your filibuster is stopping the extension of the debt ceiling. And that stopping of the extension is going to jeopardize our credit rating, raise interest rates, and cost six million American jobs according to the best economists. Why would we do that to America at this moment in history? We should be doing just the opposite,” Durbin concluded.

Video of Durbin’s floor speech is available here.

Audio of Durbin’s floor speech is available here.

Footage of Durbin’s floor speech is available here for TV Stations.

-30-