Posted on 10/11/2013 11:28:25 AM PDT by jazusamo
Rep. Peter King (N.Y.) would support a discharge petition on a "clean" spending bill if GOP leaders don't bring it to the floor soon, the centrist Republican vowed this week.
King has long-pushed Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to take up the Senate-passed continuing resolution (CR) to reopen the government. But he has refused to buck leadership further by endorsing the Democrats' discharge petition, which would force a floor vote on the bill.
Until Friday.
"If we have to do a discharge petition, ultimately, we will, but this is going to come [to the floor]," King said in an interview with Bloomberg's Al Hunt that is scheduled to air Friday night.
"I think John Boehner has wanted this moment all along," King added. "He never wanted to close the government. He was backed into it by this group of 30 or 40 people. Now he has the leverage he needs, and I think it's going to come to the House floor, no matter what."
More than 20 House Republicans have indicated they would back a clean CR if it came to the floor, but King is the first to announce his support for the Democrats' discharge petition.
Boehner last month attempted to move a spending bill to prevent a government shutdown that the Senate could have passed “clean,” but his right-most flank insisted that changes to ObamaCare be part of the bill. The conservative opposition led to a prolonged back-and-forth between House Republicans and Senate Democrats over the healthcare provisions.
When no deal was reached by Oct. 1, much of the government shut down.
President Obama has publicly said he won’t negotiate with Republicans on either the CR or the debt ceiling until the dual crises are resolved. The shutdown entered its 11th day Friday.
But with polls showing that voters are blaming Republicans to a much greater degree than Obama for the impasse, GOP leaders have begun to soften their position in recent days, and it appears that the White House is negotiating with them.
On Thursday, Republicans offered Obama a new plan under which they would agree to extend the Treasury's borrowing authority through Nov. 22 if Obama will agree to negotiate with them on a longer term budget deal that would reopen the government.
King predicted Friday that clean bills to raise the debt ceiling and end the shutdown would pass easily, if GOP leaders would bring them to the floor.
“I think it would have passed earlier in the week after the poll numbers have come out," he told Bloomberg. "It's going to pass overwhelmingly."
Peter King: No, I won’t sign the Democrats’ discharge petition to force a House vote on ending....
Is he also switching to his true party?
Peter King proves once again that he is an Undocumented Democrat.
Peter King is a POS.
I knew that because he’s a entirely jealous of American Patriot, Senator Ted Cruz!
Peter King is just like John McCain, without the USN resume.
Send him out our way.
We’ve got piles of Obamastuff (otherwise known as sh**) to throw in his discusting bottom dwelling RINO face.
He is Obamaslime.
The guillotine, the guillotine...only kidding in that the darned things are not too easy to purchase lately.
Peter King is a loudmouth camera-hog. Unlike a full Democrat, he is sometimes on the right side of the argument. But I don’t think he has any particular guiding principles.
Besides, a CR cannot be a “clean bill” because the CR itself is a dirty maneuver...
That would be an unconditional surrender for sure.
The Senate GOP members (MCcain, etc) offer isnt much better.
The original idea of demanding overall defunding wasnt a very thoughtful idea, but a compete surrender like this would be a disaster.
It would get Bohner off the hook though, as he could vote against it.
The way they used are probably a violation of fiscal law.
which means Democrat
Of course the linguine spined little pseudo lib from NY will.
Does anyone think the NSA surveillance has anything to do with certain Republican behaviour? Even McCain wasn’t this bad. Does Obama have the goods on these Congressmen?
Nothing is holding King Rino from signing the discharge petition now.
If he feels that strong about a clean bill, he is free to sign his name,
Put it in writing for all to see and sign that discharge petition.
Go ahead King Rino, sign your name to that petition. Maybe you will get
a nice gift in return. Like the gift of a primary opponent.
I agree, lack of the USN resume and he’s the RINO of the House instead of the Senate.
I hope some Tea Party “member” in King’s District announces tomorrow to oppose him in the Repub primary.
No, NO, he’s not switching.
We’re told numerous times in today’s headlines, that there’s a third party needed.
We’re supposed to think King is a Republican and the conservatives that are winning Republican elections are required to form another party.
Cool. Let us separate the wheat from the chaff. The sooner the better.
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