Rick Scott ahead of debt ceiling vote: ‘If the time to say no is not today, when is it?’

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) suggested Thursday that it is time for Republicans to say “no” to the debt ceiling deal struck by President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), as the upper chamber takes up the legislation with just days to go until a potential default.

“If the time to say no is not today, when is it?” Scott said in a Fox News op-ed, after announcing his plans to oppose the bill Wednesday.

“In every deal, you have to say no at some point,” he added. “Maybe this is the time all Republicans need to say no. Not to be an obstructionist, but to tell every American family we hear them, and we care about them.”

Scott took particular aim at the issue of inflation, claiming the legislation does not sufficiently address rising costs.

“It’s OK to acknowledge that the deal being voted on this week may be the best that could be done with this president who refused to negotiate or even discuss this issue for months,” he said.

“But that acknowledgment must come with a second part: This legislation will only bury us deeper in debt and won’t actually deal with the raging inflation that is hurting every American family,” Scott continued.

However, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the deal could reduce the deficit by about $1.5 trillion over the next decade.

Following the House’s passage of the bill Wednesday night, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he plans to keep his chamber in session as long as it takes to get the legislation to Biden’s desk.

“We will keep working until the job is done. Time is a luxury the Senate does not have,” he said Thursday.