While Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has become a tool for his Democratic colleagues to move the budget into conference committee, Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) continue to express there concerns that these negotiations will be used for a stealth debt ceiling ... “We were not sent here to affirm 'the way the Senate worked' as Congress racked up trillions in debt, inflated a housing bubble, doled out favors to special interests, squeezed the middle class and trapped the poor in poverty,” Lee explained.and more »

John McCain accusing younger colleagues of overplaying their hands and tempting Democrats to change Senate rules that protect the minority party. ... Democrats say the debt ceiling must be raised to pay for expenses already incurred by Congress. Failing ...and more »

In full view of C-Span cameras trained on the floor this week, Senators John McCain of Arizona and Susan Collins of Maine jousted with a new generation of conservatives — Marco Rubio of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky — over the party's refusal to allow the Senate to open budget ... It was the Old Guard versus the Tea Party, but with real ramifications, as Congress careens toward another debt limit and spending crisis this fall with seemingly no one at the steering wheel.and more »

In full view of C-Span cameras trained on the floor this week, Senators John McCain of Arizona and Susan Collins of Maine jousted with a new generation of conservatives — Marco Rubio of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky — over the party's refusal to allow the Senate to open budget ... It was the Old Guard versus the Tea Party, but with real ramifications, as Congress careens toward another debt limit and spending crisis this fall with seemingly no one at the steering wheel.and more »

John McCain accusing younger colleagues of overplaying their hands and tempting Democrats to change Senate rules that protect the minority party. ... Democrats say the debt ceiling must be raised to pay for expenses already incurred by Congress. Failing ...and more »