Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., "tired of caving" on the debit limit, reportedly is pressuring Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to not strike a last-minute deal with President Joe Biden on the contentious issue.
According to The Hill, Scott's focus on McConnell is an extension of their November squabble over the leadership of the Senate GOP conference, which McConnell won in a closed-door election.
In that meeting, Scott tried to oust McConnell from the top Senate Republican leader's spot after the GOP's failure to win a Senate majority — and helped lead the fight against passing the $1.7 trillion year-end omnibus spending package, The Hill noted.
Scott told The Hill he's not giving up on cutting federal spending and will take on McConnell again over an already expired debt limit that's forcing the Treasury Department to use "extraordinary measures" to make payments.
"I'm not going to back down," Scott told The Hill after McConnell removed him from the powerful Commerce Committee.
The Hill reported conservatives viewed Scott's removal as fallout from the November leadership race, which Scott lost 37-10.
McConnell also removed Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, from the panel.
Lee nominated Scott for Senate Republican leader in November and helped lead the fight against passage of the 2022 omnibus spending bill, The Hill noted.
Scott has been gearing up to battle McConnell over the debt limit since April 2021, when he pushed to amend the Senate GOP conference rules to require that "any increase in the debt ceiling must be accompanied by cuts in federal spending of an equal or greater amount as the debt ceiling increase, or meaningful structural reform," The Hill reported.
Scott said McConnell then "caved" in the fall of 2021 by working out a deal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to create a one-time exception allowing debt limit legislation to advance on the Senate floor without having to face a filibuster.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.