Chuck Schumer’s Debt Default

Remind us again: Who won the U.S. Senate majority last fall? We seem to recall that Democrats gained a seat and retained their majority. But you wouldn’t know it from the way Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and his fellow Democrats are missing in action on the debt ceiling.

House Republicans last week passed a bill that would raise the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion into 2024 with some modest spending restraint, and in the American system it takes two legislative bodies to tango on legislation. But where’s Chuck? He has denounced the House bill as “dangerous,” with his usual nuance, but if he wants to avoid a default on U.S. debt he will have to pass a bill through the Senate. So far he’s done nothing but kvetch.