Psaki Calls On Republicans To Raise The Debt Limit For The 79th Time Since 1960

White House press secretary Jen Psaki called on Republicans to raise the debt limit again and follow “historical precedent” in doing so during a press briefing Wednesday.

A reporter asked what conversations the White House is having with Congress to ensure the U.S. does not default on its debt. (RELATED: Biden Calls On Congress To ‘Move Forward’ On Raising Debt Ceiling)

“I would say we are making absolutely clear that raising the debt limit is something that has been done, historically, 80 times in a bipartisan fashion … more times under Republican presidents than Democratic presidents,” Psaki said. “And when we’re talking about what debt we’re dealing with here, most of it, 99% of it I believe, existed before President Biden took office.”

.@PressSec Jen Psaki: “Raising the debt limit is something that has been done historically 80 times in a bipartisan fashion. The vast majority, more times under Republican presidents than Democratic presidents.” https://t.co/f9AvwYHqnh pic.twitter.com/Be1AVT3bBE

— The Hill (@thehill) August 11, 2021

“So we understand what their public comments are to date, Congress will return in September and certainly, we know the private sector that former leaders from both sides are eager to see Congress raise the debt limit and not face default,” she added.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen asked Congress to pass an increase to the debt limit, but Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday that Republicans would not agree to do so.

McConnell called the idea a “comedy” and a “monstrosity,” arguing that the Democrats “want Republicans to help them raise the debt limit so they can keep spending historic sums of money with zero Republican input and zero Republican votes.”

The debt limit has been raised by Congress 78 times since 1960, 49 times under Republican presidents and 29 times under Democratic presidents, according to the Treasury Department.

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