Biden and McConnell have long bragged about their close working relationship. Now, at perhaps the most critical time, they're not even trying to negotiate.
The Senate minority leader on Monday morning prodded the president to talk his party into raising the debt ceiling without the GOP, the first step in what may become a complicated back-and-forth. McConnell has warned for months that he won't supply the votes to raise the nation's borrowing limit even as the risk of a U.S. default spikes, and he reiterated in a new letter to Biden that he won't help Democrats out of the jam.
The two leaders have bragged for years about their close working relationship. When Biden campaigned for president, he did so as a leader who could reason with an oft-obstinate McConnell. And just a few months ago, McConnell shocked all of Washington when he endorsed Biden’s infrastructure deal. The president is set to give a speech on Monday morning on the importance of raising the debt ceiling after McConnell’s conference blocked a proposal to do so last week. The Kentucky Republican, meanwhile, says he doesn't take it personally that he and Biden aren't in touch.
But in the process, the price tag for Biden’s social spending package has taken a major hit from the $3.5 trillion that Democratic leaders wanted, somewhat hampering Republicans’ arguments about the excess of a bill that large. As Biden and Democratic leaders focus on expansive and transformational government investments in health care, education and climate action, McConnell is making a risky bet that Democrats will fold under pressure from Biden as the debt deadline draws near. That will occur in just two weeks, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Raising the borrowing limit through reconciliation would take Congress at least a week, according to budget experts.
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