When it comes to the Republican Party’s burgeoning debt ceiling crisis, the party has had two broad camps. The first has argued that the GOP is prepared to cause an economic catastrophe, on purpose, unless Democrats agree to meet ambitious demands that Republicans don’t want to identify.
The second has said that GOP is justified in threatening to impose a deliberate economic catastrophe, but this Republican faction expects Democrats to meet more modest demands. Like the first contingent, this GOP group has also refused to go into detail about their plan.
But we’re starting to see a third faction take shape. Members of this camp, oddly enough, are saying that they don’t much care whether Democrats pay a ransom or not — because they’ll oppose a debt ceiling increase either way. Semafor ran this head-shaking report late yesterday:
Put down Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. as a hard “no” on lifting the debt ceiling later this year. The Congressman told Semafor in a Wednesday phone interview that he doesn’t see a circumstance in which he casts a vote to reauthorize the US’s ability to repay its bills. … To be clear, this isn’t a tossed-off gotcha or an answer based on a misheard question about government shutdowns versus default. He gave similar comments to CNN, and Semafor asked and re-asked and texted again after the interview to clarify his position. He’s a no, full stop.
Burchett, who opposed raising the debt limit since he was first elected five years ago, explained: “I’ve made commitments and I’ve run on fiscal responsibility.”
In this context, I honestly don’t know what that means. Since when is it fiscally responsible for the United States to refuse to pay its bills, default on its obligations, and cause an avoidable economic catastrophe on purpose?
The Tennessee Republican also told Semafor, in reference to what would happen if the United States refuses to act: “We just tell the world we’ve reached a limit. The consequences, of…
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