WASHINGTON, Oct 19 Reuters - A top Democrat in the U.S. Senate of Representatives said Tuesday that he would support allow the U.S. Treasury secretary to unilaterally extend the limit on federal borrowing, with Congress then empowered to vote on vetoing such decisions.
It's a good option, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters in a weekly press conference. He said that Treasury Secretary should have opportunity to make a judgment. Hoyer's remarks come as Congress faces an early December deadline for either raising the borrowing limit or pushing the federal government into an unprecedented default on its debt.
The task has been complicated by Democrats who say they do not want to see a default but have voted against a debt limit increase at the same time, hoping Democrats figure out a way of passing such legislation on their own in the deeply divided Congress.
Legislation that increases borrowing authority, which currently has a $28.9 trillion limit, likely would face opposition in the Senate where 60 out of 100 votes are needed to advance most legislation.
Democrats have opposed to using a budget reconciliation tool to approve a debt limit increase without any Republican input, saying the complex procedure is both too time consuming and would set a bad precedent.
On a related matter, Hoyer said the House was still working to pass by the end of this month a multi-billion dollar infrastructure investment bill along with a democratic-only national measure expanding social programs and tackling climate change.
We are committed to meeting the deadline of Oct. 31. We are working very hard to have both of those bills accepted or rejected by the House of Representatives before that date, Hoyer said.
However, the House has failed to meet a previously set early September deadline for these bills as moderates and progressives in the Democratic Party fight over the size and scope of the larger bill.
Democrats have attacked large spending initiatives sought by Democrats and have argued that is the reason they will not vote for a debt limit increase although it primarily finances spending they voted for during Trump administration.