Posted on 07/20/2011 9:51:31 AM PDT by Libloather
Reid says he's waiting on Boehner to tell him 'path forward' on debt
By Josiah Ryan - 07/20/11 10:35 AM ET
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Wednesday claimed his chamber has a "path forward" for raising the debt ceiling but said he's waiting on Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to tell him what can pass the House.
“I'm at a point where I'm saying we need to hear from the House of Representatives,” Reid said from the Senate floor. “We have a plan to go forward over here. But until we hear from the House of Representatives, really our, all of our work here would be for naught.
"I await the word from the Speaker," he added.
In response, a spokesman for Boehner said the Senate needs to move on the debt-ceiling package that the House passed Tuesday evening.
"We are aware of the deadline, which is why we hope Sen. Reid will move quickly to schedule a vote on the 'Cut, Cap and Balance plan' passed by the House with bipartisan support," the spokesman said.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the Republican Study Committee, said the House's position is "crystal clear."
"In case Senator Reid didn’t notice, a bipartisan 'Gang of 234' just sent him the way forward. It’s called the 'Cut, Cap, and Balance Act,'" Jordan said in a statement. "This is the only plan that can fundamentally solve our debt problem, and it is waiting for Sen. Reid to bring up on the Senate floor for an up-or-down vote."
The "Cut, Cap and Balance" bill passed the House Tuesday evening in a 234-190 vote. The legislation is not expected to pass the Senate, and President Obama has threatened to veto it.
Senators are working on at least two other plans to raise the debt ceiling, and Reid admitted Wednesday morning that the precise path the chamber will choose in a debt-reduction package is undetermined.
On Tuesday, the Gang of Six offered a plan that was received warmly by many senators that would reduce the deficit by $3.7 trillion over the next 10 years and increase tax revenues by $1 trillion through closed loopholes.
The gang's plan — which President Obama hailed as a "significant step" in the negotiations — will not be completed in time to meet the Aug. 2 deadline for raising the debt ceiling. But it's possible that some of the group's recommendations could be included in a debt-ceiling deal.
Reid is also working with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on a fall-back proposal that could put the onus on President Obama to make three separate requests to raise the debt limit.
“We in the Senate, we can have the greatest ideas in the world, but if they're not accepted in the House, we can't extend the debt ceiling, which we have to do,” said Reid.
Get real. This is not an issue where spending is decided.
YOU GET REAL. Boehner could have ended BamBamcare day one when he was given control of the House. All he did was weep and claim some rule put in place would NOT be gone against. The liberals know who holds the positions of power and they play them like a cheap imitation Stradivarius.
Our Tea Party Congressman wrote that he was not for giving Obama another few billion to blow; and didn’t vote for the bill. Said he was for most of the bill’s provisions; just not for giving Obama another load of cash to squander.
Ahem ... YOU need to get real. Congress passes bills in 2 Houses. Anything done in the House that is DOA in the Senate will NOT change anything.
Any House action to defund Obamacare has to be in the annual budget. It’s still being worked on.
Rather than whining, call your congresscritter to make sure the defunding is in the House version of the budget.
How?
This needs to become a standard Republican phrase. As in, "The 'Gang of 234' has sent the Senate a clear signal...".
The Senate cannot fund anything that is not originated in the HOUSE. And Boehner began his term saying there was some 'rule' built in over BamBamCare he was NOT going to break. We are not the 'right' because it is opposite of 'left', but because we ARE 'right'. Oh and yes sure I could call my Reverend lying congress critter but he show his worth by making lying accusations against the 'tea party' when they took our cause to WDC. I got no representation from my leftist congress critter.
And now this nation must contend with a 'gang' willing to sell US out once again. We have been shown that Congress can do whatever it sets it mind to do and all I expect is now that the peoples house has been 'freed' to pull the plug on BamBamCare, regardless of what stupid rule the old RED Nanny the Pewlouise put in place.
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