WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement after the Senate failed to advance legislation that would prevent a government shutdown and avoid an unprecedented default on the national debt:

“Today’s bill was to fund the federal government’s core operations and to suspend the debt ceiling – there’s no earthly reason to shirk this responsibility.

“Let’s be clear: suspending the debt ceiling allows us to pay what we owe on legislation we have already passed; it does not cost a single penny. And because of that, today’s vote should have been unanimous – as every single member of the Senate has cast a vote for a bill that cost money. It’s the equivalent of ripping up your credit card bill rather than paying it, and the result will be the same: we’ll hurt our credit score, tarnish our nation’s economic reputation, and actually increase our debt due to higher interest rates.

“This is an irresponsible and dangerous break from precedent, as Democrats voted to suspend the debt ceiling three times in a Republican-controlled Senate during the Trump Administration – as the deficit rose $7.8 trillion in his single term. After today’s vote, bad-faith partisan brinksmanship threatens to shut down the government, slam the brakes on our economic recovery from the pandemic’s slowdown, and plunge our national economy into an unprecedented catastrophe.

“We must put politics aside before it is too late – because the full faith and credit of the United States cannot be a bargaining chip.”