Punchbowl News: “McConnell and the GOP leadership struggled all afternoon to round up the 10 votes they need to end a Republican filibuster of the debt-limit legislation, which extends the Treasury Department’s borrowing authority until Dec. 3.”
“This is very un-McConnell like. The deal McConnell cut with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer guaranteed that he could provide the votes to break a filibuster or, alternatively, convince his colleagues to allow Democrats to lift the cap with 50 votes. Despite an afternoon of whipping by the leadership, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rand Paul (R-KY) still insisted on 60 votes, therefore forcing Republican leadership to find 10 GOP lawmakers to vote for cloture.”
“McConnell doesn’t typically enter into a pact like this with the other party without having his votes locked down. It looks like McConnell will get there in the end, but it ain’t been easy.”
Meanwhile, the Washington Post quotes former President Trump: “Looks like Mitch McConnell is folding to the Democrats, again. He’s got all of the cards with the debt ceiling, it’s time to play the hand. Don’t let them destroy our Country!”
