Biden: Changing Senate's filibuster rules to raise debt ceiling 'a real possibility'


President Biden said Tuesday that Democrats are considering changing the Senate's filibuster rules in order to get around Republicans who are blocking attempts to raise the debt ceiling.
If the debt ceiling isn't raised by Oct. 18, the U.S. may default on its debt, a bleak scenario which could send the country into a recession. The filibuster imposes a 60-vote threshold, and with the Senate split 50-50, Vice President Kamala Harris would have the tie-breaking vote under a majority-wins rule. However, to get the rules changed, every Senate Democrat would need to be on board, and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) have previously said they do not support altering the filibuster.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is leading GOP efforts to keep Biden from implementing his economic agenda, repeatedly insisting Democrats use the reconciliation process to raise the debt ceiling. This is too "risky," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said, because it could take too much time and might not pass by Oct. 18. Biden told reporters on Tuesday that there are "not many options" if Republicans are going to be "that irresponsible. ... There's not much time left to do it by reconciliation."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
When asked by reporters about changing the filibuster rules in order to raise the debt ceiling, Biden responded, "I think that's a real possibility." In July, Biden said getting rid of the filibuster altogether could "throw the Senate into chaos," but he's been adamant about how important it is to raise the debt ceiling, warning that if the U.S. can't pay its bills, it could cause everything from delays in issuing Social Security checks to higher interest rates.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) told reporters Tuesday that Democrats are looking at all solutions to the problem. "There's a lot more conversation because Mitch McConnell is threatening to blow up the economy," he said. "The level of frustration in the [Democratic] caucus has gone through the roof."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 – 30 May
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will Europe beat China and India to the North Pole?
Podcast Plus, is the man who designed the iPhone going to kill his own creation? And what's going on at the equalities watchdog?
-
Is it finally all change for train Wi-Fi?
In The Spotlight South Western Railway's 5G Wi-Fi service has changed the way passengers connect – but will the new system catch on?
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges
-
Germany lifts Kyiv missile limits as Trump, Putin spar
speed read Russia's biggest drone and missile attacks of the war prompted Trump to post that Putin 'has gone absolutely CRAZY!'
-
Tied Supreme Court blocks church charter school
speed read The court upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision to bar overtly religious public charter schools
-
GOP megabill would limit judicial oversight of Trump
speed read The domestic policy bill Republicans pushed through the House would protect the Trump administration from the consequences of violating court orders