Pat Toomey on House GOP debt limit bill >>> HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN McCARTHY SCORING A VICTORY IN WASHINGTON'S SHOW DOWN OVER THE DEBT CEILING WITH REPUBLICANS SQUEEZING A BILL THROUGH THE HOUSE THAT WOULD EXTEND THE DEBT LIMIT FOR A YEAR IN RETURN FOR SPENDING CUTS AND SUPPORT FOR THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY AMONG OTHER THINGS C NOW THE SENATE IS GETTING READY TO TAKE ON THE FIGHT AS THE BILL HEADS THEIR WAY. JOINING US FOR MORE IS U.S. SENATOR PAT TOOMEY IT MIGHT BE FORMER BUT I'M SURE YOU'RE WATCHING CLOSELY AND STILL CLUED IN, SENATOR. IT'S GOOD TO HAVE YOU ON. >> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU, JOE. >> I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS IS GOING TO PLAY OUT. WE HAD SPEAKER McCARTHY ON YESTERDAY. I WORRY THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS THE -- AT LEAST HAS THE IMPRESSION THAT NOTHING THAT HE DOES REALLY CAN STICK TO HIM IN TERMS OF THINGS, BUT TODAY THERE ARE A COUPLE OF EDITORIALS AND ADMITTEDLY IT'S IN THE "WALL STREET JOURNAL," BUT KIMBERLY SAYS UNITY IS POWERFUL, AND SOME OF THESE GUYS IN THE HOUSE HAD NEVER VOTED IN THEIR LIFE FOR A DEBT CEILING INCREASE, AND TO BE ABLE TO GET THEM TO DO IT, IT'S THE ONLY BILL THERE NOW THAT'S EVEN AROUND THAT RAISES THE DEBT CEILING, SO IF THE BRINKSMAN SHIP CONTINUES IT'S GOING TO BE PRESIDENT BIDEN'S FAULT. DO YOU BUY THAT? >> SO A COUPLE OF THINGS FIRST, LET ME START WITH SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT LOST IN THE CONVERSATION. YOUR VIEWERS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THERE'S PRETTY MUCH A 0% CHANCE THAT THE UNITED STATES WILL FAIL TO MAKE A PAYMENT ON ANY OF OUR DEBT THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE A DEFAULT ON THE DEBT, EVEN IF THE DEBT CEILING IS NOT RAISED BY THE X DATE ONGOING TAX REVENUE IS ABOUT EIGHT TIMES THE AMOUNT OF MONEY NEEDED TO SERVICE OUR DEBT WE HEAR THE ADMINISTRATION TALK ABOUT WHAT A CALAMITY IT WOULD BE IF WE MISSED THE PAYMENT ON OUR DEBT, WHICH IS TRUE. WHY THEN WOULD JANET YELLEN CHOOSE TO MISS A PAYMENT ON THE DEBT IF WE GO PAST THE X DATE, AND THERE WILL BE VENDORS WHO WON'T GET PAID ON TIME, IT WILL BE A PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, WHICH IS NOT IDEAL, I HOPE IT DOESN'T HAPPEN IT'S NOT THE SAME THING. THE ARGUMENT IS MADE BY PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DELEGITIMIZE THE REPUBLICAN POSITION WHERE WE HAVE TO BEGIN TO ADDRESS THE SPENDING YOUR POINT IS EXACTLY RIGHT. KIM STRASSEL'S POINT IS RIGHT. IF THE HOUSE HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO PASS ANYTHING, JOE BIDEN'S POSITION OF REFUSING TO NEGOTIATE DOESN'T SEEM THAT UNREASONABLE IF YOUR NEGOTIATING PARTNER CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT HIS POSITION IS. THAT'S ALL CHANGED NOW KEVIN McCARTHY PULLED OFF SOMETHING VERY IMPRESSIVE. EARLY ON I DIDN'T THINK HE WOULD BE ABLE TO, GETTING VIRTUALLY EVERY REPUBLICAN ON BOARD WITH A COMPLETELY REASONABLE PLAN TO AT LEAST ADDRESS SOME OF THE EXCESSIVE SPENDING I DON'T THINK IT'S TENABLE FOR JOE BIDEN TO CONTINUE TO SAY I REFUSE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE VERY SPENDING THAT'S DRIVING OUR DEFICITS I DON'T THINK THAT'S TENABLE SO I THINK THE ADMINISTRATION WILL REALIZE THAT OR COME TO THAT CONCLUSION, AND THEN THEY'LL GO TO THE TABLE AND Joe Biden can do whatever he wants SOMETHING WILL GET WORKED OUT WHICH WILL AT LEAST BEGIN TO ADDRESS THE OUT OF CONTROL SPENDING WE HAVE BEEN LIVING WITH. >> I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE INTRANSIENCE COMES FROM. HE HAS PEOPLE THAT ARE ADVISING HIM, AND HE ALSO HAS THAT PART OF THE PARTY THAT HE HAS SEEMED TO CODDLE AND APPEASE BEFORE WITH THE FAR LEFT, OBVIOUSLY THE PROGRESSIVES BUT THERE WAS ANOTHER PIECE I KEPT BRINGING UP YESTERDAY WITH SPEAKER McCARTHY AND SENATOR CRUZ THAT TENINGER WROTE, IF DONALD TRUMP IS THE NOMINEE, BIDEN BASICALLY CAN DO WHATEVER HE WANTS LIKE HE DID THE FIRST TWO YEARS, AFGHANISTAN AND THE BORDER NOTHING STUCK. IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN IN 2024 HE CAN DO WHATEVER HE WANTS. >> AND THE RACE WILL BE ALL ABOUT TRUMP, AND THAT'S WHAT DEMOCRATS WANT, BOTH TO GIVE THEM A CHANCE FOR JOE BIDEN TO GET REELECTED, WHICH I THINK THERE'S A VERY HIGH RISK OF IF DONALD TRUMP IS THE NOMINEE, BUT ALSO THE DOWN BALLOT DAMAGE THAT DONALD TRUMP WOULD INFLICT ON Why would Biden even consider negotiating REPUBLICANS IN SENATE AND HOUSE RACES. SO, YEAH, I UNDERSTAND THAT. >> SO WHY WOULD PRESIDENT BIDEN EVEN CONSIDER NEGOTIATING? THAT'S MY FEAR IS THAT HE'S GOING TO -- YOU SAW YESTERDAY. THERE WAS NO INDICATION, NO MOVEMENT WHATSOEVER FROM THE PRESS SECRETARY OR ANYONE ELSE >> BUT AS REPUBLICANS GET OUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND EXPLAIN WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO HERE, THEIR PROPOSAL THAT, MY GOODNESS, WE TAKE SPENDING ALL THE WAY BACK TO WHERE IT WAS, WHEN, 2022, THEN WE LET IT GROW, MODESTLY, AND THE YOUNG ABLED BODY PEOPLE WITH NO DEPENDENTS WHO ARE ON WELFARE, WE'RE GOING What Republicans want TO ASK THEM TO WORK. THE INDIVIDUAL ITEMS IN THE PLAN ARE COMPLETELY REASONABLE. >> YOU WERE THERE LONG ENOUGH TO SEE SENATOR VAN HOLLEN WHO I LIKE YESTERDAY, OH, MAN REPUBLICANS WANT TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON CUTTING LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THIS BILL, SO THEY WANT TO DEFUND THE POLICE WHICH AS WE KNOW, REPUBLICANS ARE THE ONES WHO WANT TO DO. THEY SAY THINGS -- >> BUT, JOE, YOU'RE LAUGHING BECAUSE IT'S NOT BELIEVABLE, RIGHT? AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL SEE THROUGH THIS SO THEY'RE TRYING TO MAINTAIN THIS POSITION THAT WE'RE JUST NOT GOING TO NEGOTIATE BY THE WAY, AS YOU KNOW, EVERY BUDGET DEAL THAT'S BEEN STRUCK IN THE LAST 40 YEARS HAS HAPPENED IN THE CONTEXT OF A DEBT CEILING INCREASE. JOE BIDEN HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THOSE. THIS IS RIDICULOUS THIS IS A MOMENT WHERE SOMETHING MODEST COULD GET DONE. THE HOUSE HAS PUT A COMPLETELY REASONABLE PROPOSAL ON THE TABLE. FRANKLY, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE REPUBLICAN SENATORS JOIN THEM, GO ON RECORD, MAKE IT CLEAR TO CHUCK SCHUMER THAT HE WON'T GET THE 60 VOTES FOR CLOTURE