Democrats want to address the debt limit before this Congress — and likely their control in Washington — ends at the close of the year.
They’re aiming to strike a bipartisan deal to address the debt ceiling during the lame-duck period, which could ride on an omnibus spending package if lawmakers can get one done. But it’s unclear if enough Senate Republicans will accept a deal, and Democrats are also discussing using the budget reconciliation process to act on their own.
“Look, we’d like to get a debt ceiling done in this work period,” Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer said in his post-lunch news conference Tuesday. “The best way to get it done — the way it’s been done the last two or three times — is bipartisan. And I intend shortly to sit down with the Republican leader and try to work that out.”
