The federal government could shut down Friday if Congress fails to approve funding. And the U.S. will hit the debt limit on Oct. 18, causing default.<\/b>
\nU.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said Wednesday that Democrats should raise the nation’s debt ceiling on their own since they are pushing new legislation to increase spending on health care and education that Republicans don’t like. On Monday, Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would have kept funding the federal government into early December and would have increased the federal debt ceiling \u2014 the amount of money the U.S. government can borrow to pay its bills. Grassley, a Republican who recently announced he will run for reelection in 2022, said on call with reporters Wednesday that his party has consistently told Democrats where they stand and that «Monday’s vote should not have been a surprise.» «We\u2019ve said pretty plainly for months we will not abet the tax and spending spree, and that we\u2019re going to vote against the raise of the debt ceiling,» he said. More: Why does the federal debt limit matter? Here’s what America’s debt actually looks like Congress is now moving forward with a bill to keep funding the government into early December, without language raising the debt ceiling after Republicans objected to tying the two items together. The federal government could shut down Friday if Congress fails to approve the funding. And Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said the United States will hit the debt limit on Oct.18, which would cause the country to default on its debt and spark economic chaos. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said his party is working to avoid a government default but has been blocked by Republicans. \u201cOver the past week, our caucus has tried to find a workable solution to avoid default on our sovereign debt, but Republicans have stymied us at every opportunity,» he said. Grassley and other Republicans have for months objected to Democrats’ planned «reconciliation» legislation that would expand Medicare, subsidize child care, pay for community college and fund programs to fight climate change. The bill is being crafted so it can pass without Republican support in the Senate, which is currently split 50-50. It would cost $3.5 trillion over 10 years, although details are still being worked out as congressional Democrats struggle to get all their members on board. At least part of the cost of the bill would be paid for by increasing taxes on corporations and the wealthy. Live updates: Congress may take action today to avoid government shutdown Grassley said Republicans «could easily help the Democrats» raise the debt ceiling if Democrats abandon their spending plans. But if the party doesn’t want to consult Republicans on their legislation, they shouldn’t expect GOP help raising the debt ceiling, he said. «Democrats control both houses of Congress and the White House,» Grassley said. «They\u2019ve designed their multi-trillion spending plan to pass without Republican input. In the same way, they don\u2019t need help from Republicans to raise the debt ceiling. If the government shuts down, Democrats will be responsible.» Democrats in the U.S. House are also trying to pass a bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill this week, which Grassley voted for in the Senate this summer. Some House progressives say they plan to vote the bill down if it comes up for a vote before the larger spending bill is ready. From August: Chuck Grassley votes yes, Joni Ernst votes no on bipartisan infrastructure bill Grassley said he’s not concerned about whether the infrastructure bill can pass in the House, saying that’s something for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Joe Biden to figure out. «I\u2019m not because that\u2019s Pelosi\u2019s problem and Biden\u2019s problem,» he said. «I voted for it and it\u2019s good policy.» USA Today contributed to this report. Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.<\/p>\n