Senate blocks GOP attempt to deny debt-ceiling increase

Despite support from virtually all Republicans, the Senate blocked an attempt to deny President Obama an increase in the debt ceiling, ensuring that the administration has the funds to pay the nation’s bills through the November election.

The vote was the last in a series of politically pointed votes arranged in the summer debt-ceiling deal, when GOP-led opposition to allowing more borrowing led the nation to the brink of its first federal default.

The nation’s debt now stands at $15.2 trillion, and Thursday’s action will allow it to rise to more than $16 trillion.

The outcome was a foregone conclusion, as the Democratic-led Senate was not expected to take the unprecedented move of blocking the increase and risking a default. Two Democrats, Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, voted with Republicans. Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) joined Democrats in filibustering the motion. The tally was 44-52 on the motion to proceed to the debate, which failed.

The vote was designed to give GOP lawmakers one more opportunity to express their opposition and point blame at Obama during an election year. The Republican-led House had approved the measure last week on a party-line vote.

“Look, we should be working together to lower the debt, not having votes to increase it,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell(R-Ky.), the GOP leader who arranged the vote. “So Republicans today will send a simple message to the White House: no more blank checks.”

Democrats, though, said Republicans were disingenuous in trying to block the nation from paying bills that have already accrued.

“Don’t vote for the spending if you won’t vote for the borrowing,” said Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), the assistant majority leader. “Because they’re linked together.”

The nation’s debt limit held steady at about $5.9 trillion during 1990s, when the Clinton administration was balancing the budget. But it virtually doubled under President George W. Bush to $11.3 trillion after the federal government put the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as well as an expanded Medicare prescription drug benefit on the national credit card.

Debt continued to rise after Obama took office, with increased government spending on the federal stimulus and a decline in tax revenues as the economy struggled to recoup from the recession.

Congressional Republicans ran for election in 2010 against the rising debt load, and vowed to block new borrowing without additional budget cuts.

After a prolonged stalemate this summer, agreement was reached to cut $2.1 trillion from the federal budget over the decade.

Almost as soon as the deal was struck, though, lawmakers suggested those reductions would be too severe, particularly to defense accounts. With cuts scheduled in 2013, efforts are underway in Congress this year to prevent them from taking effect.

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