McConnell promises GOP senators will hold debt ceiling hostage

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued a stern warning Sunday that no Republican senators would vote to raise the debt limit if Democrats don't take what he called a "credible effort" to deal with the country's debt.

"I don't intend to support raising the debt ceiling and I don't believe any Senate Republicans do, unless we do something important related to spending and debt," he told Fox News' Chris Wallace.

"I think the administration understands that, that we're just not going to bring up the debt ceiling and everybody say all right," he added. "It's going to have to carry something with it that the markets, foreign countries, the American people believe is a credible effort to begin to get a handle on spending and debt."

Not every Republican leader has been willing to hold the debt limit hostage.

"I think raising the debt limit is the responsible thing to do for our country, the responsible thing for our economy," House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) told The Wall Street Journal earlier this month.

"If we were to fail to increase the debt limit, we would send our economy into a tailspin."

When asked about Boehner's remarks, McConnell said he was only speaking for Republican senators.

"My prediction is not a single one of the 47 Republicans will vote to raise the debt ceiling unless it includes with it some credible effort to do something about our debt. Now, the House is another matter. I'm just predicting that the Senate Republican votes. I don't believe Senate Republicans are going to vote to raise the debt ceiling," he said.

This video is from Fox's Fox News Sunday, broadcast March 13, 2011.

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