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"This is risky business and dangerous business"
that Republicans are engaging in, Schumer, a Democrat, told
reporters at the Capitol.
There are estimates that sometime in October the Treasury
Department could run out of ways to borrow money to finance
government debt unless Congress approves a new debt limit.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has repeatedly said
Democrats should raise the debt ceiling on their own. On
Tuesday, McConnell said: "Republicans are united in opposition
to raising the debt ceiling, not because it doesn't need to be
done" but because he believes Democrats should include it in
their $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill and pass it without
Republican support.
Nevertheless, Senator Richard Shelby, the senior Republican on
the Senate Appropriations Committee, expressed optimism to
reporters on Tuesday that Congress would approve a debt ceiling
increase in a timely manner, despite the opposition from many
lawmakers in his party.
"I think ultimately we will, after stops and starts - we will
pass a debt limit of some kind. Otherwise, the alternative is
not good," Shelby said.
(Reporting by Makini Brice, Richard Cowan and Doina Chiacu;
Editing by Leslie Adler and Grant McCool)
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