Debt Ceiling: House Rejects Democratic Proposal Amid Theatrics

WASHINGTON -- With just three days left until the country is set to begin defaulting on its debt, the House rejected a debt proposal by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Saturday -- a move Republicans designed purely for theatrics to show the bill lacked the votes to pass.

The bill was rejected by a vote of 173 to 246. Eleven Democrats joined all of the House Republicans in opposing Reid's bill. The defecting Democrats included Reps. John Barrow (Ga.), Dan Boren (Okla.), Bruce Braley (Iowa), David Loebsack (Iowa), Jim Matheson (Utah), Mike McIntyre (N.C.), Collin Peterson (Minn.), Mike Ross (Ark.), Kurt Schrader (Ore.), Peter Visclosky (Ind.) and David Wu (Ore.).

Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) headed to the White House to discuss the state of play with President Barack Obama shortly after the bill went down.

House Republicans pushed Reid's bill through via a restrictive voting process: The measure was taken up on the suspension calendar, which requires a two-thirds vote to pass, bars amendments and limits debate to 40 minutes.

Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.), who sits on the House Rules Committee, called the day's business "a joke," "a disgrace" and "an insult to the American people."

The effect of taking up Reid's bill on the suspension calendar -- a move typically reserved for noncontroversial measures -- is "a $2.5 trillion bill being brought up under the same process used for post offices," McGovern said.

House Republicans maintained that the action was necessary to show that the Democratic plan can't pass and key to moving overall negotiations forward. The vote comes a day after the Senate voted down a GOP debt plan put forward by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). So the result of Saturday's vote is that the majority party in each chamber has rejected the other's plan -- and at least appeared to draw a line on what they won't accept in a final deal.

"This side of the aisle is committed to reaching a solution," Rep. Scott Garrett (R-S.C.) said. "But at the of the day … let it be clear, with God as my witness, we will not compromise on our principles -- our principles of defending the Constitution."

Partisan tensions boiled over at several moments in the debate.

Pelosi said Boehner "chose to go to the dark side" by adjusting his debt proposal to win over conservatives. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), a GOP presidential candidate, accused President Barack Obama of having just "coolly stood on the sidelines" as Congress wrestled with a debt solution.

At one point, Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.) started a shouting match with House Rules Chairman David Dreier (R-Calif.) over the point of holding Saturday's doomed vote at all. "This is a disgraceful moment, Mr. Dreier," Levin said. Dreier countered that the House vote will help move the process forward. The two went back and forth vying for recognition to speak until Levin stormed off after shouting into the microphone, "Mr. Dreier, that is pernicious nonsense!"

For all the partisan sniping on Capitol Hill, the reality is that Reid's and Boehner's plans aren't that far apart. Both make substantial spending cuts, both have some form of spending caps and both would establish a "super Congress" composed of 12 members from both parties and chambers that would be given the power to make major changes to entitlement programs. Most importantly, both allow for a debt ceiling increase before August 2, when the government is expected to run out of money to pay its bills and begin to default.

There's "not that much difference," between the two, Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) told The Huffington Post on Friday. Flake voted for Boehner's bill and said he, for one, would have supported Reid's plan if he attached it to a vote on a balanced budget amendment.

But with both the Reid bill and the Boehner bill now off the table -- at least in their current forms -- House and Senate party leaders are heading back to the table to come up with another path forward.

Some Democrats continued to call on Obama to go around Congress and use the Constitution to avert a debt default.

"The president needs to pull the 14th Amendment," Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) said on the floor. "I think he should because the Republicans have shown no sign of compromise."

Comments

[Saywhut]

11:50 AM on 08/17/2011

I know this is all "old news" but, still, I ran into The Washington Post article which states:

In mid-January, newly installed as the GOP House majority leader, Virginia’s Eric Cantor rose to the podium inside a spacious hotel ballroom to deliver a message to his troops, including the 87 newcomers who had given the party control of the House.
A vote to increase the nation’s $14.3 trillion debt limit was coming soon, he told the caucus members who had gathered at the Marriott in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor for a closed-door retreat less than 10 days after taking power. Think of it as a “hidden” opportunity, he implored them, a chance to achieve their goal of reining in the federal government and its spending
habits.
“I’m asking you to look at a potential increase in the debt limit as a leverage moment when the White House and President Obama will have to deal with us,” said Cantor, one of several new House leaders who detailed the game plan for the coming months. “Either we stick together and demonstrate that we’re a team that will fight for and stand by our principles, or we
will lose that leverage.”
The frantic showdown that followed, bringing the nation to the brink of default, looked like the haphazard escalation of a typical partisan standoff.

If this is true then that explains why it happened.

[army193]

06:26 PM on 08/01/2011

It seem now that the President and Dems have no choice to vote for this Hostage taking Bill to raise the Debt today. Note: let the Republicans vote alone on this deal let them get the 216 votes and if they fail there is 173 Dems that will vote for a clean debt increase and let the Republicans fail to obtain 43 of their member to send us into default this would show how dysfunctional this Republican party is to the American People.

You can be assured a number of Dems will cave as they have done on Health Care, Reform of Financial System, Bush Tax Cuts, Now a debt ceiling that has been raised 70 plus times. We still remain in more conflicts that Bush had us in, rumor is we going to not pull all our troops out of Iraq. These matters will come and back to hurt the Democratic Party over all, as it did in 2010. The voters will be asking why send Democratic nominees since there unable to fight for what American people has asked for and the polls have reflected this out. IMHO

[ocrmom59]

10:04 AM on 08/01/2011

While more and more things come out about the deal and we still blaming the president for giving in, I think in the long run it is going to hurt the republicans and teaparties more. They will now continue to bragged and keep trying to defund programs that get overturned in courts that people will really get to fully understand their agenda.

Many of us realize that this is the second time the tax cut was taken off the table and I think that is what is going to do the republicans in. They are so busy planning ways They have forgotten that all those entitlement programs they want to get rid of are used by their loyal followers who will face the ax too.

Now more pressure will be on the republicans to create jobs since the biggest reason for not is still in place, they no longer have any excuses. But rest assurred they will think of something. First it was the HCR, then spending, now let see what they come up with next.

[sillygames]

08:53 AM on 08/01/2011

Now America can cost cut or way to properity. To hell with Tax revenue.

[antipodal2u]

08:30 AM on 08/01/2011

Pelosi: Boehner 'Chose To Go To The Dark Side'

and u idiots followed him

[branchisole]

08:03 AM on 08/01/2011

Our Congress - What Do You Get?
Tea Party Congress people - Commitment
Republican Congress people - Solidarity
Democratic Congress people - Excuses

Join our "Bloodless Revolution"
Vote for NO Incumbents in 2012 national elections!
The only power we the people have is harnessed in our vote.

[fineartgalaxy]

07:52 AM on 08/01/2011

If Boehner chose to go to the dark side, Obama chose to follow him.

[Cor]

07:50 AM on 08/01/2011

Yeah, let's start a SUPER Congress cause the regular one is working so well! We would do as well with NO Congress.

[Jan Badinski]

01:07 AM on 08/01/2011

I find it interesting that Bachmann complained how the president just "coolly stood on the sidelines" . Considering its the congress's job to work this stuff out, not the president's, he was doing exactly what he was supposed to do. Since she wants to run for president, she should know this.

[tster1965]

11:36 PM on 07/31/2011

I loved it when Pelosi said it was "perfectly absurd." The Tea Party members of the House are definitely "theater of the absurd."

[shineonbluemoonk]

11:51 PM on 07/31/2011

But they are winning.

[ThankGodhesgone]

12:21 AM on 08/01/2011

What have they won? Those same cuts will affect them. They just don't realize it. But they sure do feel good that they've won....for now.

[maximus5757]

12:28 AM on 08/01/2011

As well they should be winning! That is why they were elected and what the people that elected them wanted them to do.

[Dale Birmingham]

11:23 PM on 07/31/2011

Looks like Darth Boehner wins this battle. Granny Gavel just lost and wont play fair.

[Quitcherbichin]

11:15 PM on 07/31/2011

If anyone knows about the "dark side" it would be Pelosi.

[maximus5757]

12:30 AM on 08/01/2011

When she gets booted out of the Congress, maybe she can get a part on True Blood, since she already has the look.

[Curious Black]

10:49 PM on 07/31/2011

For the record, on the dark side, crying get you the much sought after "You have failed me for the last time."

[Bud Budha]

10:44 PM on 07/31/2011

Did Obama ever take Negotiating 101 class?

[Dale Birmingham]

11:25 PM on 07/31/2011

He might have been "present" but probably doodleing in the corner or on his crackberry.

[F4flyr]

11:33 PM on 07/31/2011

he wrote the syllabus...and teaches it at The New American Patriot, 1600 Pennsylvania ave., Washington, DC

[tgrade1]

08:30 PM on 07/31/2011

Harry Reid table two bills that the House passed, which means he wouldn't even allow a vote on them in the Senate. Then he said his bill was the only one which could save America. So who really has been being intractable and unwilling to compromise? I am truly tired of all this haggling, and I have been viewing with dismay what's been going on in this country. We have a lot of problems. So, seven weeks ago I decided to run for president. I'm just a regular citizen who's had enough. I know I'm the longest of longshots, but the word is starting to spread--the campaign website passed 110,000 hits today. Now Moody's has weighed in and said none of the plans are sufficient because, in truth, none of the plans up for consideration really cuts spending. They're all about how much less we are going to spend than we were planning on spending. I have written down my plans for eliminating the deficit, getting the economy going again, containing health care costs, the mess we call foreign aid, and a host of other issues facing America. Check it out. If you like what you see, spread the word. gradyforpresident dot com.

[cynical one]

08:36 PM on 07/31/2011

So? The House killed Reid's bill.

[SeekWisdom]

02:07 AM on 08/01/2011

Nice. Now where can we find about 300 sane folks to run for Congress?