Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, told Newsmax that the $5 trillion Democrats want to spend in an infrastructure bill and a larger budget reconciliation bill is ''unnecessary.''
''I get very frustrated about the fact that the Democrats keep proposing spending that doesn't need to be done. This is unnecessary. A $3.5 trillion reconciliation, reckless tax-and-spend bill,'' Ernst said Wednesday on ''Spicer & Co.''
''If they would come back to us and say we're not going to move through reconciliation, we are not going to move forward with this ridiculous spending on the backs of American taxpayers, perhaps we could come to some level of agreement.''
Congress has been deadlocked on passing a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, that initially had some Republican support, and a concurrent $3.5 budget reconciliation bill that contains key elements of the Democratic agenda.
These elements include free childcare, college tuition, an expansion of Medicaid and Medicare, and some provisions of the Green New Deal to fight climate change.
The narrow Democratic majority in the House — less than 10 votes — and an evenly divided Senate means that all Democrats in both chambers must support both bills.
At least two Democratic senators, West Virginia's Joe Manchin and Arizona's Kyrsten Sinema, say they oppose the larger bill, which could kill it in the upper chamber.
Add to the mix the urgent issue of the nation raising its debt ceiling or face a first-ever default.
That problem, however, may finally be solved.
After saying that GOP members in the Senate would make the Democrats pass the ceiling hike ''on their own'' for trying to ram the other legislation through Congress unilaterally, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., issued a statement Wednesday saying Republicans would support a bill suspending the raise in the debt ceiling until December, freeing up money for the country to pay its bills.
''Republicans remain the only party with a plan to prevent default. We have already made it clear we would assist in expediting the 304-reconciliation process for stand-alone debt limit legislation,'' McConnell's statement said.
''To protect the American people from a near-term Democrat-created crisis, we will also allow Democrats to use normal procedures to pass an emergency debt limit extension at a fixed dollar amount to cover current spending levels into December.
''This will moot Democrats' excuses about the time crunch they created and give the unified Democratic government more than enough time to pass standalone debt limit legislation through reconciliation.
''Alternatively, if Democrats abandon their efforts to ram through another historically reckless taxing and spending spree that will hurt families and help China, a more traditional bipartisan governing conversation could be possible,'' the statement continued.
According to The Hill, Democrats appear to want to accept the offer.
''In terms of a temporary lifting of the debt ceiling, we view that as a victory, a temporary victory with more work to do,'' Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., told CNN on Wednesday.
Former President Donald Trump, however, said Wednesday that McConnell was squandering the leverage his party has to kill the spending bills by using the debt ceiling and a possible government shutdown to block it.
''Looks like Mitch McConnell is folding to the Democrats, again. He's got all of the cards with the debt ceiling, it's time to play the hand,'' Trump said. ''Don't let them destroy our Country!''
Ernst said that the Democrats are going to keep pushing for the massive bills.
''Democrats are just going to barrel down this road,'' she said. ''They're going to keep spending dollars that we don't have, dollars that force us to raise our debt ceiling.''
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