While Republicans are against raising the national debt ceiling; or the amount of money the government can legally be allowed to borrow to pay outstanding "legal obligations"; and seek to negotiate, Democrats are all in on raising it. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL-25) this week appeared to engage in a bit of fearmongering as she stated, "MAGA extremists who control the House gavel threaten to take our global economy hostage unless we sacrifice Medicare and Social Security. And the knife they hold to the neck of our economy is the debt ceiling fight."
According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the debt limit or ceiling, is as follows:
"The debt limit is the total amount of money that the United States government is authorized to borrow to meet its existing legal obligations, including Social Security and Medicare benefits, military salaries, interest on the national debt, tax refunds, and other payments."
MAGA extremists who control the House gavel threaten to take our global economy hostage unless we sacrifice Medicare and Social Security. And the knife they hold to the neck of our economy is the debt ceiling fight. https://t.co/ZuZ70KjFuh
— Debbie Wasserman Schultz (@DWStweets) January 24, 2023
Rep. Wasserman-Schultz cites a Sun Sentinel article which quotes her tweet and several other prominent Florida Democrats, including freshman Rep. Maxwell Frost (10).
"We can’t be holding our nation and our seniors hostage just to score some political points. And so I’m here in solidarity with our seniors and with our working families across the state of Florida and with our delegation to call the Republican Party out on their B.S.," said Rep. Frost.
Additionally, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (20) agreed with Wasserman Schultz, saying that addressing the debt ceiling was "an emergency issue" that "Republicans want to play politics and hold that debt ceiling hostage."
Similarly, Rep. Jared Moskowitz (23) calling the supposed hypocrisy of Republicans "beyond laughable."
Republicans, on the other hand, see the issue differently.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-19) says negotiations will occur whether or not Democrats want it or not.
"Newsflash to the White House, we are going to negotiate, we're going to have meaningful spending cuts, and we can talk about how the debt ceiling will be raised," said Rep. Donalds spoke on Fox's Next Revolution.
Meanwhile, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) recently stated in a pair of tweets that "the dysfunctional status quo in D.C. isn’t working for the American people."
"The Democrats' debt ceiling crisis is the latest proof. We've had ENOUGH. If we don't change how Washington works, we'll never get our fiscal house in order" and that "reaching our federal debt ceiling didn't just sneak up on us. I've sounded the alarm on this for YEARS. Democrats had EVERY OPPORTUNITY to stop reckless spending & get our fiscal house in order. Instead, they passed a $1.7T inflation bomb, blowing MORE of your money," added Sen. Scott.
The dysfunctional status quo in D.C. isn’t working for the American people. The Democrats' debt ceiling crisis is the latest proof.
We've had ENOUGH. If we don't change how Washington works, we'll never get our fiscal house in order.
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) January 23, 2023
Reaching our federal debt ceiling didn't just sneak up on us. I've sounded the alarm on this for YEARS.
Democrats had EVERY OPPORTUNITY to stop reckless spending & get our fiscal house in order. Instead, they passed a $1.7T inflation bomb, blowing MORE of your money.
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) January 24, 2023
