The Hill reports that Kennedy said he would otherwise not vote to raise the debt ceiling but would do so if the legislation included language to provide disaster relief.
"I want to see what they come up with, but if it's fair, I'll probably vote yes — but reluctantly," Kennedy said last week, as per the report.
The senator went on to note that he doesn't believe Senate Democrats will get the ten votes from Republicans to raise the debt limit.
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"I don't think they're going to get ten Republican votes, and I've told the White House that," Kennedy said. "If they insist on doing it, it tells me they're not really interested in providing disaster relief."
Asked who would get the blame for a government shutdown, Kennedy responded, “I don’t know.”
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Kennedy also described Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as a stubborn "Missouri Mule" when it comes to not raising the debt ceiling.
"Sen. McConnell rarely ever asks us to vote in a particular way, but on this one, he's made his wishes known, and I don't think he's bluffing," Kennedy added. "He's like that Missouri mule on this one, just sitting down in the mud and not budging, and I don't think there will be 10 votes to pass the [funding bill]."
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Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who represents another Gulf Coast state hit by Ida, said he would not vote to raise the debt limit.
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“I am not at all interested in helping the Democrats raise the debt,” he clearly stated Monday afternoon.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a prominent moderate, said Monday she would vote for a “clean” bill to fund the government past Sept. 30 and provide disaster relief but said a package that also included legislation to raise the debt limit would be totally different.
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Sen. Mitt Romney (Utah), another Republican, also says he’s not inclined to support any legislation that raises the debt limit.
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has leaned on Senate Republicans to oppose any debt limit increase to force Democrats to include it in the $3.5 trillion bill they plan to pass by a party-line vote under budget reconciliation.
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“Sen. McConnell rarely ever asks us to vote in a particular way, but on this one, he’s made his wishes known, and I don’t think he’s bluffing,” Kennedy said. “He’s like that Missouri mule on this one, just sitting down in the mud and not budging, and I don’t think there will be 10 votes to pass the [funding bill.]”
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