Factbox-How could U.S. Senate Democrats raise the debt limit on their
own?
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[October 05, 2021]
(Reuters) - The U.S. Congress has
about two weeks to raise the federal government's $28.4 trillion debt
ceiling or cause a historic default that would take a heavy toll on the
economy.
The parties are deadlocked over how to do so. Minority Republicans want
the Senate to use a parliamentary maneuver known as budget
reconciliation, which would allow Democrats to act without Republican
votes. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has resisted that approach,
preferring the measure to pass in regular order.
Here is the process the Senate would have to race through if Schumer
were to blink, giving Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell his way and
turning to reconciliation:
* The budget committees in the Senate and House of Representatives would
have to write legislation enabling the debt limit to be raised through
this arcane, tightly-controlled procedure.
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* The Senate Budget Committee likely would deadlock 11-11 if all 22
members are present, preventing Chairman Bernie Sanders from sending
such a bill to the full Senate.
* Schumer could then make a move on the Senate floor to "discharge" the
stuck legislation from the budget panel. There would be a maximum of
four hours of debate and then the Senate would vote on whether to
instruct Sanders to release the bill to the floor.
* The Senate could then start debate for a maximum of
20 hours. But it would be open to a potentially large number of
amendments in a procedure that is known as a "vote-a-rama." Amendments
would have to be directly related to budgetary matters however. Vote-a-ramas
are often all-night affairs.
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![](../images/100521PIX/news_o27.jpg)
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to reporters
following the Senate Democrats weekly policy lunch at the U.S.
Capitol in Washington, U.S., September 28, 2021. REUTERS/Elizabeth
Frantz
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* Following votes on amendments the Senate could vote to approve the
debt limit bill and could do so with a simple majority of 51 votes.
* The House also would have to go through the process of debating
and passing the bill, also by simple majority.
* As all of this is unfolding, global financial markets could become
unsettled as Oct. 18 nears and Washington flirts with a default.
Some Democrats have said it would be difficult to go through all
these steps in time, an assertion McConnell dismisses.
* Democrats suspect McConnell wants all of this to unfold with no
Republican fingerprints on the legislation, easing the way for
Republican attack ads against Democrats in the 2022 congressional
elections.
(Compiled by Richard Cowan; Editing by Scott Malone and Grant
McCool)
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