GOP working to lock down votes on McConnell debt deal
By Jordain Carney - 12/08/21 04:40 PM EST
Senate Republicans on Wednesday are working to lock down votes within their conference to pave the way for bypassing the filibuster on a debt ceiling vote.
As part of the agreement, the Senate will take an initial vote Thursday on a bill that prevents Medicare cuts and greenlights a one-time exemption from the filibuster for a subsequent debt ceiling bill.
At least 10 GOP senators will be needed to get the legislation that eases the way for the simple-majority debt ceiling vote through the Senate.
GOP leadership is feeling confident that they’ll be able to round up the votes.
But they aren’t there yet. Asked if he was saying they currently had 10 GOP “yes” votes locked in or that they would have 10 GOP votes by the time the vote started, Thune quipped with a laugh: “Well, it’s the same right?.”
Eleven GOP senators previously helped advance a short-term debt hike in early October. But GOP leaders won’t be able to lean on the exact same mash up of Republicans.
Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), John Thune (R-S.D.), the No. 2 GOP senator, Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the No. 4 GOP senator, and John Cornyn (R-Texas), a close McConnell ally, are expected to support the procedural bill.
But Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), the No. 3 Senate Republican, hasn’t yet said how he will vote. He was one of the 11 GOP senators who helped advance the debt hike in October.
Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who were both “yes” votes in October, are similarly mum. Portman said he hadn’t decided, while Capito indicated that she was waiting until the vote to make her position known.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/584968-gop-working-to-lock-down-votes-on-mcconnell-debt-deal
