It seems Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Pat Toomey is considering a vote against raising the debt ceiling.
“I intend to introduce legislation that would require the Treasury to make interest payments on our debt its first priority in the event that the debt ceiling is not raised,” Mr. Toomey said in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.
Mr. Toomey added that government programs, such as Social Security, would take second priority behind government programs, such as Social Security and Medicaid.
Democrats slammed the proposal, saying it was “bad.”
“I think it is a dreadful idea,” Sen. Kent Conrad told National Journal. “Basically what they are saying is, pay China first. Are we going to forget about the American public and the things that they need? Somehow they are secondary?”
The North Dakota Democrat added, “I don’t even know how to describe that idea; it’s just a very, very bad one.”
Mr. Toomey’s comment comes as Republicans consider raising the nation’s debt ceiling. A number of Republican lawmakers say they will oppose raising the ceiling, opting instead for major cuts in federal spending. Speaker John Boehner said House Republicans will support increasing the debt ceiling.
