House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is set to call the Democratic Party’s bluff on the debt ceiling. The Ohio Republican, in a briefing with his conference on Saturday, announced that he would press for a short-term deal, with major spending cuts paired with longer-term deficit-reduction strategies, as a way around the current impasse.
That strategy puts the speaker directly at odds with the White House and allied Democrats, who have insisted for weeks that they would not support a short-term extension of the debt ceiling. The president went so far as to dare House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) to test his opposition to a temporary deal during a tense meeting more than a week ago.
GOP Readies New Debt Ceiling Plan; Bill Set For Sunday
Washington Examiner
House Republicans are set to release their two-part plan tomorrow.( Sunday)
House Republicans are finishing work on a new proposal to resolve the standoff over the debt ceiling. The proposal, set to be finished and crafted into the form of a bill by Sunday, will be in two parts. The first will combine a short-term increase in the debt ceiling with spending cuts. The second will lay the groundwork for a longer-term increase in the debt ceiling coupled with far-reaching deficit reduction.
“Senator Reid said on Friday that he is going to wait for us to move,” says a well-informed GOP House aide. “So we’ll move.” Another well-informed aide confirmed the basic outline of what’s happening.
Staff of the House Rules Committee is involved in the work, which is an indication that the process is nearing completion. Before any bill can be considered on the House floor, the Rules Committee must first pass a rule setting out the process for its consideration. Once the proposal is finished, it would likely be posted on the Rules Committee website, probably no later than Monday, so the committee could meet to consider it on Tuesday and it could be on the House floor by Wednesday.
Work on the new proposal was underway before negotiations with the White House blew up on Friday. Sources say the plan was being created last week, even as the House leadership devoted considerable time to passing the “Cut, Cap, and Balance” proposal. Once the Senate Democratic leadership blocked “Cut, Cap, and Balance,” House leaders stepped up work on the new proposal. Right now, the new direction is believed to be the only way forward. “McConnell-Reid is just not a viable option in the House,” the aide says, referring to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s complicated proposal to allow the president to increase the debt ceiling.
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Wild Thing’s comment……..
Obama wants a default, he’s a community organizer. Community organizers love a crisis, as long as they think they can spin it to the disadvantage of their political enemies.
It will be difficult, for the Democrats and Obama, to blame the Republicans, if the default occurs.
Even the media as biased as they are, will not be able to ignore the fact, that during this whole discussion, not once, has a plan been put on the table, by either Obama or any Democratic Leader.
Almost every poll taken indicates that the majority of the American People, want some sort of plan, that will cut down on spending and reduce the deficit.
The Republican controlled, Congress passed the “Cut, Cap and Balance” plan which offered some realistic solutions. We all know what the Democratic controlled Senate did with that.
Boehner, McConnel and the rest of the Republican leaders need to keep the pressure on over the next few days. If they show any sign of willingness to negotiate, ON ANY TERMS OTHER THAN THEIR OWN, they will have shown all of us, that they are not really serious, and it really is, “Politics as Usual”.
The cretin in the oval office wants a NEW Trillion dollars in Taxes. As of now there are 140 Million people still working. That is an increase in taxes per person of over 7000 dollars per year.
Gas is rising, inflation is driving up Food prices and every other essential commodity necessary for sustaining life. Where is the money going to come from?
If Boehner does anything but stand his ground he will be caving to this misfit in the oval office.
Mark there are not still 140 million people working, it is a little under that now.
There is also a legal land mine for Obama in these weeds. I’m not sure what could be done to him but the original provision was written to control Andrew Johnson and some of the people involved seemed to think that it authorised storming the Whitehouse under certian conditions.
The 14th amendment included a phrase that the legal debt of the United States shall not be questioned. This was aimed at States or Congressmen that wanted to screw over the people who financed Lincoln’s armies who sacked the South. It means obligations which are structured as debts get paid first. Not just bonds but Social Security and Medicare are debt obligations too.
Medicaid, the Education Dept. EPA payroll and all Entitlements on the other hand are welfare programs that Supreme Court has held nobody is obligated to pay beyound the current act of Congress.
Thank you Sean, Mark and Avitar so much.
This thing going on so long is really wearing me down. haha whew