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WASHINGTON–The government will not default on its debt and be unable to pay the national bills unless Democrats refuse to raise the debt ceiling on their own. But, Sen. Mike Braun says he doesn’t believe Republicans will be complicit in raising or suspending the debt ceiling.

“We cannot as Republicans, if we want to continue to call ourselves fiscal conservatives, raise the debt ceiling for this $3.5 trillion soft infrastructure bill, $1.2 trillion, hard, and the $2 trillion that we’ve already got in place through the Rescue Act,” he said, in an interview on WISH-TV’s All Indiana Politics, Sunday.

Braun said he would not vote in favor of raising the debt ceiling.

But, he also said he’s not worried about any fallout from government default.

“That is not gonna happen unless the Democrats refuse to lift it within their own prerogative to do so.”

Braun said the blame for the country being $28 trillion in debt doesn’t rest solely with one party.

“I want to be clear, Republicans are just as guilty as Democrats in how we got to this point. But, the most recent kind of dereliction of duty, borrowing the money from our kids and grandkids mostly, this is beyond the pale,” he said.

Braun said he votes on principle, and he cannot conscionably vote to raise the national debt ceiling, so that must be left up to Democrats, who have the power to do it without one Republican vote.