| USA TODAY | - |
WASHINGTON
-- House Republicans stepped back from budget negotiations Saturday,
leaving the Senate to take the lead on reopening government and avoiding
a default on the nation's debt.
WASHINGTON
-- House Republicans stepped back from budget negotiations Saturday,
leaving the Senate to take the lead on reopening government and avoiding
a default on the nation's debt.
At a brief meeting of House Republicans Saturday morning, top leaders said they have no new proposal to offer the White House.
After the meeting, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said, "I'm disappointed that the president has rejected the offer that we put on the table. I know that he's trying to see which Republican senator he can pick off in the Senate. I hope that the Senate Republicans stand strong so we can speak with one voice."
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-I'll., said Obama would rather deal with Senate because the House has a tougher negotiating position.
"It's now up to the Senate Republicans to stand up," said Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho.
The past few days have seen a flurry of negotiations between the White House and Congress as the Oct. 17 deadline on the nation's debt limit approaches. The Treasury Department has said that without congressional action to raise the debt ceiling, it will be unable to pay the nation's bills after that date.
The government has also been partially shutdown since Oct. 1, because Congress has been unable to pass a spending bill to provide a budget for the new fiscal year that began that date.
House Republicans had refused to act on the debt ceiling or the spending bill without an agreement to suspend or defund the president's signature health care law. Democrats said they would not negotiate until after the bills were passed.
Over the past few days, President Obama has held separate meetings with the Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate.
Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, had suggested a 6-week extension of the debt ceiling, and Obama said he was open to the idea but wanted the government to be reopened as well.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is pushing a simple 15-month extension of the debt ceiling.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is working with senators in both parties on a budget framework that includes a six-month stopgap funding bill through March and a debt ceiling increase through January. The extensions would give Congress breathing room to reach a broader budget agreement.
"I believe that still gives us plenty of leverage to work out a long-term fiscal plan, but it removes the threat of an immediate default," Collins said Friday.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the president and Congress are "obviously in a better place than we were a few days ago in terms of the constructive approach that we've seen of late" but there was still no agreement. "We're talking about a very fluid situation."
President Obama told business leaders on a conference call Friday that he hoped a deal could be struck this weekend.
At a brief meeting of House Republicans Saturday morning, top leaders said they have no new proposal to offer the White House.
After the meeting, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said, "I'm disappointed that the president has rejected the offer that we put on the table. I know that he's trying to see which Republican senator he can pick off in the Senate. I hope that the Senate Republicans stand strong so we can speak with one voice."
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-I'll., said Obama would rather deal with Senate because the House has a tougher negotiating position.
"It's now up to the Senate Republicans to stand up," said Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho.
The past few days have seen a flurry of negotiations between the White House and Congress as the Oct. 17 deadline on the nation's debt limit approaches. The Treasury Department has said that without congressional action to raise the debt ceiling, it will be unable to pay the nation's bills after that date.
The government has also been partially shutdown since Oct. 1, because Congress has been unable to pass a spending bill to provide a budget for the new fiscal year that began that date.
House Republicans had refused to act on the debt ceiling or the spending bill without an agreement to suspend or defund the president's signature health care law. Democrats said they would not negotiate until after the bills were passed.
Over the past few days, President Obama has held separate meetings with the Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate.
Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, had suggested a 6-week extension of the debt ceiling, and Obama said he was open to the idea but wanted the government to be reopened as well.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is pushing a simple 15-month extension of the debt ceiling.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is working with senators in both parties on a budget framework that includes a six-month stopgap funding bill through March and a debt ceiling increase through January. The extensions would give Congress breathing room to reach a broader budget agreement.
"I believe that still gives us plenty of leverage to work out a long-term fiscal plan, but it removes the threat of an immediate default," Collins said Friday.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the president and Congress are "obviously in a better place than we were a few days ago in terms of the constructive approach that we've seen of late" but there was still no agreement. "We're talking about a very fluid situation."
President Obama told business leaders on a conference call Friday that he hoped a deal could be struck this weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment