Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell claimed Monday that Congress will pass legislation to raise the debt ceiling, saying that lawmakers have a responsibility to make sure the U.S. doesn’t default on its debt.
Tackling the debt ceiling is slated to be one of Congress’ first priorities that it will attempt to tackle when members return from the August recess, as they only have until the end of September to strike a deal.
“There is zero chance — no chance — we will not raise the debt ceiling,” McConnell said during an event with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in Louisville, Ky. “America’s not going to default. And we’ll get the job done in conjunction with the Secretary of the Treasury.”
The battle over increasing the nation’s borrowing limit could prove to be problematic for congressional leadership, with a number of GOP members, particularly conservatives, calling for language on spending cuts to be tacked onto the bill.
The White House is calling for a clean debt ceiling bill, arguing that it’s a nonpartisan issue lawmakers need to pass to ensure the country maintains the best credit possible.
“We’re going to get the debt ceiling passed. I think that everybody understands this is not a Republican issue, this is not a Democrat issue,” Mnuchin said. “We need to be able to pay our debts.”
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