Republicans have threatened to refuse to raise the debt ceiling if President Joe Biden does not cave to their legislative demands.
Try putting the shoe on the other foot.
Imagine Donald Trump is in office. Democrats have control of the House and Republicans (by the thinnest margin) maintain control of the Senate.
We reach a point where the debt ceiling (an artificial construct of legislative procedure) needs to be raised or else the U.S. will default on its debts, resulting in a global recession. Democrats threaten to refuse to raise the debt ceiling unless Republicans agree to pass a statute that creates Medicare for all and universal higher education paid by the federal government while raising taxes on the wealthy to pay for it all (actually reducing U.S. debt).
Trump and the Republicans don’t want a global economic collapse, so they cave to many of Democrats’ demands. Republicans are being responsible because (in this scenario) the Democrats are willing to destroy the world economy if they don’t get what they want.
Is that a fair use of legislative procedural rules?
The answer is no.
A rule that allows a minority party to dictate policy (or else self-destruct the U.S. monetary system) is not a good or fair rule. And the way Republicans abuse this rule completely flies in the face of the normal democratic process. Normally, you earn votes by supporting popular policies and building coalitions, not by threatening to destroy the global financial system.
Zachary Myers
Taylorsville