Updated 8:25 a.m. Friday
If one senator keeps his pledge, lawmakers may need to reach agreement well in advance of the Treasury's Aug. 2 default date
Given potential resistance to a compromise debt-limit bill in the Senate, the legislative deadline for avoiding default will likely come on Sunday, three days sooner than the Treasury's Tuesday deadline for presidential signature.
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) has signaled he will do everything in his power to delay passage of the type of bill Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will likely bring to the floor. Under Senate rules, wherein an individual senator can force multiple procedural votes and mandated debate time, DeMint will be able to postpone a final vote for roughly three days, according to one Senate aide.
DeMint has not backed down from his promise of delay. "I think it's better to take it past August 2 and wait for something that solves the problem," he recently told National Journal.
It's unclear whether DeMint will follow through with this promise, or whether it applies to every proposal under consideration aside from DeMint's preferred "Cut, Cap, and Balance" plan, which has already failed in the Senate. But it's a safe bet that DeMint won't like whatever Reid, House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and President Obama decide is the answer.