Biden says Republicans won't let U.S. default amid debt ceiling standoff

The Biden administration and Democratic congressional leaders are pushing back on Republican lawmakers who have said Democrats will have to go it alone on raising or suspending the debt ceiling. President Biden said Wednesday that he is not worried about the debt ceiling and pointed out that the national debt rose dramatically under the previous administration when Republicans were in power. 

"They're not going to let us default," Mr. Biden said in response to a question on the debt ceiling. "$8 trillion of that is on the Republican conscience." The suspension of the limit for how much the United States can borrow to pay its bills expired at the end of July, forcing the Treasury to use so-called extraordinary measures and teeing up a battle in Washington.