GOP Senator concerned about debt-ceiling talks, plans to delay for significant budget reform.

Senator Mike Lee Vows to Impede Debt-Ceiling Deal Without Budgetary Reforms

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) is not happy with the current state of debt-ceiling negotiations between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and President Joe Biden. Lee, who chairs the Senate Republican Steering Committee, believes that the talks are ignoring the need for “substantial spending and budgetary reforms” that conservatives in the House and Senate say are crucial for any deal to be made.

I will use every procedural tool at my disposal to impede a debt-ceiling deal that doesn’t contain substantial spending and budgetary reforms. I fear things are moving in that direction. If they do, that proposal will not face smooth sailing in the Senate.

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) May 25, 2023

Lee has vowed to use every procedural tool at his disposal to impede any debt-ceiling deal that doesn’t include these reforms. He tweeted, “If they do, that proposal will not face smooth sailing in the Senate.”

The White House and McCarthy are reportedly close to reaching an agreement to raise the debt ceiling before June 1, when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the U.S. could be unable to pay its bills. However, the House Freedom Caucus is pressuring McCarthy to hold the line and only agree to a deal with the White House that would help “minimize the damaging inflationary consequences of reckless spending.”

The Republican-led House passed the “Limit, Save, Grow Act” last month, which would raise the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion while also cutting the budget by $4.8 trillion over the next decade. However, the reforms desired in that legislation are not expected to make it past the Democrat-controlled Senate and White House.

Lee’s Efforts to Push for Budgetary Reform

Lee has been leading the effort to push for budgetary reform and could delay floor proceedings on a debt ceiling bill through procedural tools such as requiring a full reading of the bill and refusing to waive motions to skip other Senate formalities. Earlier this month, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) joined Lee and 41 other Senate Republicans in signing a letter to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) stating that the Senate GOP would not support “any bill that raises the debt ceiling without substantive spending and budget reforms.”

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Lee said, “It is now clear that Senate Republicans aren’t going to bail out on Biden and Schumer, they have to negotiate. I thank my colleagues for joining my effort to emphasize this point in the clearest possible terms.”