Raising the debt ceiling, once considered a routine duty of Congress to pay our bills, is now used by Republicans as an opportunity to threaten and extort concessions from Democrats.

The GOP is once again up to their dirty tricks. They recently threatened, if they capture a majority in the House of Representatives, to hold the debt ceiling hostage while demanding cuts in essential programs like Social Security and Medicaid.

If America defaults on its financial obligations, it will cause unprecedented damage to our economy--damage that would be entirely self-inflicted and avoidable.

If Democrats raise the debt ceiling during this lame duck session, they can deprive the GOP of a chance to hold the country hostage over the next two years. Democrats must stand up to Republican obstruction before it starts and use their respective powers to end this Republican manufactured crisis before it begins.

Sign the petition: Democrats must raise the debt ceiling now to keep the government funded and stop the GOP from holding our economy hostage.