'Not going to back down': Sen. Scott blasts McConnell for 'caving' to Democrats over debt ceiling

07 February 2023

Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott criticized Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell during a recent interview with The Hill for "caving" to Democrats in 2021 when the top senator voted to raise the debt ceiling limit, Mediate reports.

This comes days after McConnell removed Scott from the Senate Commerce Committee, which the Florida senator believes is "retribution" for challenging "the Kentucky senator's 15-year streak as minority leader" last year.

Scott told The Hill:

“You saw [in 2021] he came out and said in July that we would not participate in raising the debt ceiling and then … he organized 11 people to say we’ll allow the Democrats to do it on our own. We didn’t follow conference rules. I’m tired of caving."

The Hill reports that supporters of McConnell questioned Scott's past spearheading of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), criticizing the Florida senator's "strategic decisionmaking," particularly during his last Senate campaign when he "burned up too much money prospecting for online donors." McConnell supporters also criticized his "Rescue America" plan that critics say would significantly raise taxes.

Scott's conservative proposal received bipartisan rejection last Spring, and McConnell was "sharply critical" of the plan, according to The Washington Post.

The Florida senator recently announced his campaign for reelection as senator, restating his push for the controversial ploy.

Scott told The Hill that when it comes to federal spending, he "is not going to back down" and is "willing to clash with McConnell again over the debt limit."

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