Posted on 09/30/2013 3:03:56 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has essentially taken the House speakership from John Boehner during the fight over federal spending, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) charged Monday.
"It's pretty clear that this whole episode is being driven by the hard-right, extreme, Tea Party elements of the Republican Party, and we're seeing that play out in the House, where Sen. Cruz is essentially running the show," Van Hollen said during a breakfast sponsored by The Christian Science Monitor in Washington.
"If Speaker Boehner doesn't want to assert his leadership," he added, "then he should go ahead and turn the gavel over to Speaker Cruz, because that's what we're seeing in the House."
Cruz has been the public face of the campaign to scale back President Obama's healthcare law as part of stopgap legislation to fund the government beyond Monday. The Tea Party favorite spoke for more than 21 hours on the Senate floor last week, urging Republicans to stand firm against ObamaCare funding.
Boehner and other GOP leaders had initially rejected that strategy, pushing a continuing resolution (CR) that didn't condition the spending extension on the inclusion of ObamaCare provisions. They were forced to pull their bill, however, in the face of opposition from House conservatives who agree with Cruz.
What followed was a game of legislative ping-pong between the House and Senate that has left the government on the brink of a shutdown.
Boehner and GOP leaders first passed a CR that defunded ObamaCare; Senate Democrats stripped the health provisions and returned the "clean" bill to Boehner. House Republicans then amended the proposal with two attachments: one to delay ObamaCare for a year, and another to eliminate a tax on medical devices that's helping to fund the law.
The amended measure passed in the wee hours Sunday morning, sending the bill back to the Senate, where Democrats are expected Monday to quickly strip the healthcare provisions once more and return yet another "clean" proposal to the House.
If the chambers fail to reach a deal by midnight, large portions of the government would shut down.
The Senate's likely maneuver Monday confronts Boehner with the same dilemma he faced just three days ago: either pass a clean CR with the help of Democrats and face a near-certain revolt from Tea Party-backed conservatives, or attach another round of GOP amendments and send the bill back to the Senate, likely triggering a shutdown.
The GOP conference is planning to meet at 2 p.m. Monday to discuss their strategy.
Democratic leaders have scheduled their own meeting at 2:30 p.m.
Van Hollen said Monday that, although a clean CR would lose conservatives insistent on the ObamaCare provisions, Boehner would pick up enough Democratic support to pass a clean bill should he bring it to the floor. A number of Democrats, including leaders like Reps. Steny Hoyer (Md.) and Xavier Becerra (Calif.), had said earlier in the month that they couldn't support any CR that includes sequestration.
"I can't speak for everybody," Van Hollen said, "but I can confidently predict that if you put that on the floor of the House, it would, in fact, pass today. All the Speaker has to do is try. … But he refuses to do it because he knows it will pass."
Van Hollen also expressed support for a much shorter CR — a week, say — to prevent a shutdown Tuesday.
Republicans, meanwhile, have hammered Obama for what they say is the president's failure to negotiate with Congress on reaching a deal.
"No one's shutting down the government except the president," Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said Saturday. "The president said he won't negotiate."
The dynamics have put Boehner in the awkward position of calling on Obama to enter the discussion for the sake of a deal while simultaneously refusing to negotiate with the president for fear of a backlash from his right-most flank.
Facing pressure from conservatives in January, Boehner told his conference that he would abandon one-on-one negotiations with Obama on the budget — a vow he amplified earlier this month. The Speaker suggested Obama should negotiate instead with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).
Van Hollen acknowledged that Boehner is in a tough spot. But he also declined to give the Speaker a pass if the government shuts down, accusing Boehner of "feeding the beast" by catering to conservatives at the expense of economic stability.
"It is time for the Speaker to make a decision," Van Hollen said. "Either he should step aside for Sen. Cruz, or he should exert some leadership."
“If Speaker Boehner doesn’t want to assert his leadership,” he added, “then he should go ahead and turn the gavel over to Speaker Cruz...”
Damn straight Chris. I agree. Preach on.
Van Hollen better see a doctor for that hyperventilating before his beloved Obama care kicks in and he will have to wait so long, the outcome may be bad.
The sight of any democrat make me want to puke.
First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. :-)
The fool does not even realize that many on the left and in the center also oppose Obamacare. Cruz is speaking for America.
Let’s start that conversation by acknowledging we aren’t going to deport 12 million illegal immigrants... bringing these workers out of the shadows and into being taxpaying members of society. Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers.12 million more people assimilating into society. 12 million more people being productive contributors. [but he’s not in favor of amnesty, snicker, definition of is is]
...by softening its edge on some volatile social issues and altering its image as the party always seemingly "eager to go to war... We do need to expand the party and grow the party and that does mean that we don't always all agree on every issue" ... the party needs to become more welcoming to individuals who disagree with basic Republican doctrine on emotional social issues such as gay marriage... "We're going to have to be a little hands off on some of these issues ... and get people into the party," Paul said.
Thanks Tailgunner Joe.
> Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) charged Monday.
What’s his FR nick?
At this point boehner seems to be getting the memo...lets see how this all works out.
In the mean time our conservatives in congress should be getting support from all of us!
100% correcto...Boenhner is doing our will for the moment. I dont say forgive and forget but we need to be together on this one folks.
Cruz has unified the republicans, at least in the House. Despite Peter King, they are standing together. With Boehner leading them, they were divided and bickering.
Really? If this little clown thinks it's OK to call me a hard-right, extreme, Tea party element would it be OK for me to call him and his side fanatical leftists, progressive socialists, and liberal scum hellbent on destroying America?????
Love that one ;)
Van Hollen sounds like he just got off a LIBERAL STRATEGIC CONFERENCE CALL. Get Van, that ought to stir it up in the House.
Did anyone else just see Captain Birdseye go nuts on the House floor?
The main goal of this whole democrat Kabuki show is to crush the Tea Party House members by pinning the government shutdown on them...
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