Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, calls out the so-called congressional "deficit hawks" for supporting unfunded wars and now cuts to "virtually every social program designed to protect working families, the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor." His proposal? A budget that is both economically and morally sound.
Democrats controlling the Senate proposed Tuesday to avoid future showdowns over the so-called debt ceiling by giving the president authority to authorize additional federal borrowing unless Congress can muster veto-proof margins to block him.
The federal government shutdown could leave America's craft brewers with a serious hangover. Stores will still offer plenty of suds. But the shutdown has closed an obscure agency that quietly approves new breweries, recipes and labels, which could create huge delays throughout the rapidly growing craft industry, whose customers expect a constant supply of inventive and seasonal beers.
As the debt ceiling looms, the hostages keep mounting. Non-essential government and food stamps are just the beginning. Many worry that Social Security and Medicare — not just the Affordable Care Act — might be added to the list of demands. This is why the Obama Administration needs to de-weaponize the debt ceiling.
Senate Democrats are drafting legislation to raise the nation's debt limit without the type of unrelated conditions that Republicans have said they intend to demand, officials said Monday, as the White House signaled it would accept even a brief extension in borrowing authority to prevent an unprecedented default. Republicans have said they will seek long-term deficit cuts or reforms to benefit programs and perhaps a wholesale rollback in environmental rules as the price for raising the current $16.7 trillion debt limit.
Before taking office, each member of Congress swears a simple, straightforward oath. It leaves little room for misinterpretation. They vow to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and to “faithfully discharge the duties of the office.” They’re not just failing to perform their jobs, they’re doing the opposite of what they swore to do.
The House overwhelmingly passed a bill Wednesday to permit the government to borrow enough money to avoid a first avoid default for at least four months, defusing a crisis looming next month and setting the stage for a springtime debate over taxes, spending and the deficit.
"There is no plan B. There is no backup plan," White House spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday. "There is no alternative to Congress raising the debt ceiling."
With Republicans increasingly holding the debt ceiling hostage in an attempt to secure budget cuts, the idea of a statuary debt limit seems foolish and potentially destructive. However, one potential solution seems even more absurd - minting a $1 trillion coin.
