Politico | Joe Biden says he can’t guarantee US won’t hit debt limit
- The president slams Republicans for playing ‘Russian roulette’ with the US economy as they repeatedly block Democrats from raising the debt ceiling
- Biden’s admission is the most blunt to date of the risk that the stand-off poses to the ‘full faith and credit’ of the US
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Nick Niedzwiadek on politico.com on October 4, 2021.
“I can‘t believe that will be the end result because the consequence is so dire,” Biden told reporters after making a speech on the issue from the White House. “I don’t believe that. But can I guarantee it? If I could, I would, but I can’t.”
McConnell has thus far been adamant that Republican senators will not vote to increase the debt limit without significant concessions on government spending reductions, suggesting instead that Democrats should raise the debt ceiling via the complicated and time-consuming budget reconciliation process.
Republicans say they will not do their part to avoid this needless calamity. So be it. But they need to stop playing Russian roulette with the US economy
Democrats and other Senate observers have warned that doing so could take weeks, and brush perilously close to the mid-October deadline projected by the Treasury Department.
