Lawmakers were divided over the debt ceiling<\/h4>\n
Fox News congressional correspondent Chad Pargram has an update on Congress’ battle over the debt ceiling in “Special Report with Brett Byer.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Rep. Thomas Massey, Republican from Kentucky, was spotted holding a homemade National Debt Clock badge on the Capitol Tuesday night as partisan battles over raising the debt ceiling continued.<\/p>\n
As Washington faces renewed battles over raising the debt ceiling, including a proposal to allow the government to borrow without limits set by Congress, Massey was spotted by reporters wearing makeshift badges. was seen.<\/p>\n
Politico reported that Massie spent about three days building the badge himself, combining roofing copper and a microprocessor. He said the data was pulled from “about 400 lines of code” on the Treasury Department’s website.<\/p>\n
![\"Rep.](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/640\/320\/AP21210784401747-e1627604478881.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n Rep. Thomas Massey, R-Ky., was seen wearing the badge on Tuesday. The government last week hit the debt ceiling currently set at $31.38 trillion. House Republicans are asking for a commitment to cut the growth in federal spending that has increased under both Republican and Democratic administrations.<\/p>\n US debt ceiling forces Treasury to take ‘special measures’<\/strong><\/p>\n But Democrats have accused Republicans of “weaponizing” the debt ceiling as part of budget negotiations, jeopardizing the health of the U.S. economy by bringing it closer to default in the process.<\/p>\n \u201cThe government has an obligation to pay the bills,\u201d Rep. Bill Foster, an Illinois Democrat, said this week. “Intimidate our default<\/u> It’s like ordering an expensive meal at a restaurant, eating it, and skipping it without paying. Overall spending can and should be discussed seriously, but the full trust and credibility of America must never be undermined. \u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Republicans have called on the White House to help negotiate a deal to cut spending and said they were “disappointed” that President Joe Biden had not intervened so far. They also argued that Congress’ approval of new spending programs was what repeatedly forced the government to continue to hit its borrowing limit and forced Congress to keep raising the debt ceiling.<\/p>\n Democrats push to remove debt ceiling, allow unlimited government borrowing<\/strong><\/p>\n House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters this week, “It’s very disappointing. This is the leader of the free world banging on the table and irresponsibly saying, ‘No, no, no, raise the bar.'”<\/p>\n Conservatives sharpen spears for historic debt ceiling battle<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Biden met with Democratic leaders on Tuesday and took aim at Republicans.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n “I’m not going to let the Republicans destroy the American economy,” Biden said.<\/p>\n The federal government spent $4.4 trillion in fiscal 2019, just before COVID hit. We spent $6.5 trillion in FY2020, $6.8 trillion in FY2021 and $6.3 trillion in FY2022.<\/p>\n Peter Kasperowicz of Fox News and Associate Press contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n