华盛顿——参议院民主党人周三指责共和党人“无耻、愤世嫉俗”的策略，这将损害经济和政府的信用评级，此前众议院共和党领袖表示，他的政党将投票反对提高联邦债务限额。
参议院少数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔(Mitch McConnell，R-Ky)之后，民主党人做出了反应，这是一场可能会持续到秋季的广泛预算战的最新一章。他说，他相信所有共和党人都会投票反对延长华盛顿的借款能力。多年来一直存在巨额预算赤字的政府需要不断借入现金来偿还债务，但其法定权限将于7月31日到期。
政府借贷权限到期可能导致联邦违约，这种情况从未发生过。分析师表示，违约可能对经济产生毁灭性影响，推高利率，降低联邦信用评级，并推高政府借贷成本。
纽约参议院多数党领袖查克·舒默(Chuck Schumer)表示:“这位领导人关于债务上限的声明无耻、愤世嫉俗，完全是政治性的。这种债务是特朗普的债务，是COVID债务，”他说，指的是前总统唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)2017年实施的大规模减税，以及自新冠肺炎大流行以来迅速增加的联邦支出。
失去白宫权力的政党威胁反对提高债务上限，以此作为获得预算让步的筹码，这并不罕见。
这场斗争发生之际，两党还在乔·拜登总统支持联邦国内支出和提高富人和企业税收以支付支出的数万亿美元提案上存在分歧。
国会两年前暂停了债务上限——联邦借款的上限，但这一暂停将于7月31日到期。受借款限制的联邦债务为28.5万亿美元，高于特朗普就任总统时的19.9万亿美元和拜登上任时的27.8万亿美元。
财政部可以利用会计手段短期释放现金，但不清楚何时会用尽这一选择。一些人认为，政府可能会在8月份耗尽资金，届时国会将按计划休会。无党派的国会预算办公室周三估计，危机可能会在10月或11月到来。
为了克服参议院共和党对提高债务限额立法的阻挠，众议院的50名民主党人将需要10名共和党人的支持，麦康奈尔建议不要在那里。
周二，麦康奈尔说，“我无法想象在我们现在所处的这种环境下，会有一个共和党人投票提高债务上限，这种税收和支出全免的局面。”麦康奈尔周三向美联社证实了这些言论，此前一天，他向报道国会山和政治的出版物《新闻周刊》证实了这些言论。
在空军一号上，白宫新闻秘书珍·普萨基告诉记者，“我们期待国会像上届政府那样及时采取行动。”在特朗普执政期间，议员们数次扩大借贷权限。
当被记者问及麦康奈尔的言论时，拜登说，“我希望情况不是这样。”
一种选择是民主党人将该语言纳入国会明年开始起草的一项为许多政府机构提供资金的庞大法案中。如果在联邦预算年度结束的9月30日之前未能实施该措施，可能会导致政府关门。
民主党人还可以在他们计划起草的3.5万亿美元法案中纳入债务限额条款，为环境、健康、教育和家庭项目融资。民主党人计划用预算策略来保护该法案免受阻挠，但可能要几个月才能准备好。
Dems hit McConnell, who says GOP won't back debt limit boost
WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats accused Republicans Wednesday of a “shameless, cynical” ploy that would damage the economy and the government's credit rating after the chamber's GOP leader said his party would vote against raising the federal debt limit.
In the latest chapter of a broad budget battle likely to linger well into autumn, Democrats reacted after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he believes all Republicans will vote against renewing Washington's ability to borrow money. The government, which has been running huge budget deficits for years, needs to borrow cash constantly to pay its debts, but its legal authority to do that expires July 31.
An expiration of the government's borrowing authority could lead to a federal default, which has never happened. Analysts say a default could have a devastating impact on the economy, driving up interest rates, lowering the federal credit rating and driving up the government's borrowing costs.
“The leader's statements on debt ceiling are shameless, cynical and totally political,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “This debt is Trump debt, it's COVID debt,” he said, a reference to a massive 2017 tax cut enacted under former President Donald Trump and federal spending that's mushroomed since the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is not unusual for the political party out of power in the White House to threaten to oppose a debt ceiling increase as leverage to exact budget concessions.
This fight comes as the two parties are also at odds over President Joe Biden's multitrillion-dollar proposals for bolstering federal domestic spending and raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations to pay for it.
Congress suspended the debt ceiling — the limit on federal borrowing — two years ago, but that suspension expires July 31. Federal debt subject to the borrowing limit is $28.5 trillion, up from $19.9 trillion when Trump became president and $27.8 trillion when Biden took office.
The Treasury Department can free up cash for short periods using accounting maneuvers, but it is unclear when it would exhaust that option. Some have suggested the government could run out of money during August, when Congress is scheduled to be on recess. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated Wednesday that the crunch is likely to come in October or November.
To overcome a Senate GOP filibuster of legislation raising the debt limit, the chamber's 50 Democrats would need support from 10 Republicans, which McConnell suggested will not be there.
On Tuesday, McConnell said, “I can’t imagine a single Republican in this environment that we’re in now, this free-for-all for taxes and spending, to vote to raise the debt limit.” McConnell confirmed those remarks Wednesday to The Associated Press, a day after making them to Punchbowl News, a publication that covers Capitol Hill and politics.
On Air Force One, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters, “We expect Congress to act in a timely manner like they did last administration.” Lawmakers extended borrowing authority several times under Trump.
Asked by reporters about McConnell's remarks, Biden said, “I was hoping that wouldn’t be the case.”
One option would be for Democrats to include the language in an enormous bill financing many government agencies next year that Congress is beginning to craft. A failure to enact that measure by Sept. 30, the end of the federal budget year, could produce a government shutdown.
Democrats could also include a debt limit provision in the $3.5 trillion bill they plan to write financing environment, health, education and family programs. Democrats plan to use a budget maneuver to shield that bill from a filibuster, but it may not be ready for months.
