boutons_deux
10-07-2013, 04:32 PM
Today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made his move. He plans to introduce legislation to increase the debt limit, and dare Republicans to kill it with a filibuster.
But it won’t be a straightforward dollar increase or a time-limited borrowing authority extension. Reid will likely use a mechanism to allow the president to increase the debt limit on his own, subject to a veto-able resolution of disapproval by the Congress. In other words, the only way the debt limit won’t increase is if two-thirds of both the House and Senate feel it must be pulled back into the realm of legislative horsetrading — something that will never happen absent bipartisan agreement.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (of all people!) originally designed the scheme back in 2011, when Congress was desperately trying to escape its disastrous debt limit brinkmanship.
That’s a process reform senior administration officials say they’d be happy to accept. And if the Senate passes legislation to increase the debt limit without tacking on spending cuts or Obamacare concessions or any quantifiable ransom, it will put a tremendous amount of pressure on House Republicans to follow suit.
There are signs, too, that Republicans in the House and Senate would be satisfied with an approach that ultimately nets zero policy concessions, though not necessarily the one Reid’s advocating.
Here, John Boehner’s deputy chief of staff portrays a procedural debt limit concession as compatible with his boss’ insistence that a “clean” debt limit increase won’t pass the House.
@helitzur (https://twitter.com/helitzur) February 2013 debt hike included requirement that Senate pass a budget for 1st time in four yrs. Wasn’t “clean.” But POTUS signed.
http://www.salon.com/2013/10/07/gop_will_be_dared_to_filibuster_debt_ceiling_harry _reid_makes_his_move/
So will God-annointed Cruz filibuster?
But it won’t be a straightforward dollar increase or a time-limited borrowing authority extension. Reid will likely use a mechanism to allow the president to increase the debt limit on his own, subject to a veto-able resolution of disapproval by the Congress. In other words, the only way the debt limit won’t increase is if two-thirds of both the House and Senate feel it must be pulled back into the realm of legislative horsetrading — something that will never happen absent bipartisan agreement.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (of all people!) originally designed the scheme back in 2011, when Congress was desperately trying to escape its disastrous debt limit brinkmanship.
That’s a process reform senior administration officials say they’d be happy to accept. And if the Senate passes legislation to increase the debt limit without tacking on spending cuts or Obamacare concessions or any quantifiable ransom, it will put a tremendous amount of pressure on House Republicans to follow suit.
There are signs, too, that Republicans in the House and Senate would be satisfied with an approach that ultimately nets zero policy concessions, though not necessarily the one Reid’s advocating.
Here, John Boehner’s deputy chief of staff portrays a procedural debt limit concession as compatible with his boss’ insistence that a “clean” debt limit increase won’t pass the House.
@helitzur (https://twitter.com/helitzur) February 2013 debt hike included requirement that Senate pass a budget for 1st time in four yrs. Wasn’t “clean.” But POTUS signed.
http://www.salon.com/2013/10/07/gop_will_be_dared_to_filibuster_debt_ceiling_harry _reid_makes_his_move/
So will God-annointed Cruz filibuster?