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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is trying to fast-track the controversial debt ceiling bill in the Senate after it passed the House.
Schumer wants to pass the bill days before the deadline despite protests from at least three senators, including Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
“Paul says he will force the Senate to vote this week on cutting total federal spending by 5 percent in each of the next two years, a proposal that could put popular programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act under scrutiny,” reported The Hill. “Paul told reporters Tuesday that he would insist on a vote on his amendment in exchange for yielding back time on the Senate floor and giving leaders a chance to pass the debt-limit bill before the nation faces default next week.”
“…When he spoke with reporters on Tuesday, Paul said his plan didn’t specify what programs Congress should cut to balance the budget in five years but that it would pressure lawmakers to look at a range of entitlement programs to achieve $545 billion in cuts over two years.”
Schumer, on the other hand, wants to bypass senate objections to the bill by trying to get all 100 senators to give their “unanimous consent” to force the bill to a quick vote.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is working alongside Schumer to fast-track the bill, suggesting that senators such as Paul who want to propose amendments should be allowed to do so as long as the amendment are “doomed to fail,” according to CNBC.
“[Senators] Kaine, Paul and Lee gave few indications Wednesday of whether they were open to such an arrangement, but their Senate colleagues, the Capitol press corps and global markets were anxiously awaiting any sign of a compromise agreement with Schumer.”
The debt ceiling bill is controversial as it does little to nothing to stop government spending as it is, which will ultimately exacerbate the inflation crisis gripping the nation.