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GOP willing to shut down government over debt ceiling?

Republican Sen.
Vice President Biden helped craft the last-minute fiscal cliff deal.(Rex Features via AP Images)
Vice President Biden helped craft the last-minute fiscal cliff deal.

Republican Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., ducked a question about shutting down the government over the upcoming debt ceiling debate on The Daily Rundown  but at least one of his fellow Republicans was singing a different tune Thursday.

"Unfortunately, the next line of the sand is the debt ceiling," Corker said on The Daily Rundown Wednesday. "I think if the White House could show us [their proposed spending cuts]... this debate could move along so much more quickly and we could look like adults here instead of having to use leverage points."

However, less than 48 hours after passing a deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff, Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Penn., said on Morning Joe Wednesday that Republicans can't rule out a shut down in the negotiations.

“We Republicans need to be willing to tolerate a temporary, partial government shutdown,” Toomey said Wednesday. “We absolutely have to have this fight over the debt limit.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also weighed in on the looming debt ceiling debate, writing in an op-ed for Yahoo, "The president may not want to have a fight about government spending over the next few months, but it’s the fight he is going to have, because it’s a debate the country needs."

However, President Obama publicly stated this week that he will not tolerate another debt debate.

“While I will negotiate over many things, I will not have another debate with this Congress over whether or not they should pay the bills that they’ve already racked up through the laws that they passed,” the president said.