As expected, Senate Republicans on Monday blocked the continuing resolution which would fund the federal government and raise the debt ceiling while Congress works on a formal budget. Not a single Republican voted for the measure which required 60 votes to move forward.
U.S. Senator James Lankford said it is a direct result of Democrats excluding Republicans from the budgeting process.
“For months Republicans have alerted Democrats to the looming debt crisis that our nation will face if they continue with their tax-and-spend spree. Oklahomans are feeling the effects of inflation; employers can’t hire enough staff; and now our nation is at a critical standpoint because of the continued crisis created by Democrat leadership in the House, Senate, and the White House. The Democrats have been spending for months without Republicans’ input—they can certainly raise the debt ceiling without our help,” said Lankford.
Now, Lankford is renewing his call for budget process reforms.
“Any raise to the debt ceiling needs to come with major reforms to Congress’s failed budget process—and my solution is to take government shutdowns off the table, force Congress to do their job, and hold Congress accountable, not the American people.”
