Morning Roundup: "Postponed" Edition

Today’s headlines show it was a tough morning for House Republicans as they continue to push a short-term debt limit proposal that doesn’t have support within its own party and is destined to fail in the Senate. Rather than wasting time with a bill that will never reach the President’s desk, Republicans need to work with Democrats on a long-term, balanced agreement to pay our bills and reduce the deficit.

NY Times: House Puts Off Debt Vote as Press by Boehner Fails




“Republicans had expressed confidence throughout the day that they would round up enough recalcitrant conservatives to pass their plan, but they obviously miscalculated.”

“At 6:50 p.m., the leaders stopped all business on the floor, where the House had worked through a list of post offices to be renamed, and called a recess. As the House remained dark, Republican leaders scurried from office to office, meeting with rebellious members and trying to find a way to press forward with the vote. They eventually surrendered and put off the vote for the night.”

With House Democrats offering no votes, even from the party’s fiscal conservatives, Republicans evidently remained shy of the total needed for passage, and Mr. Boehner engaged in some very public arm-twisting as he pulled members off the floor into a nearby office.”

“‘Hopefully, now the Republicans will come back to the table to negotiate a bipartisan, balanced agreement that is overwhelmingly supported by the American people,’ said Ms. Pelosi, who added that ‘Republicans have taken us to the brink of economic chaos.’”

Washington Post: Debt-limit vote is canceled in House as Boehner, GOP leaders struggle to gain votes










WSJ: House Postpones Vote on Boehner Debt Plan

The House postponed a Thursday night vote on Speaker John Boehner's plan to raise the federal borrowing limit after he failed to stem a revolt by conservative GOP members. The delay leaves the credit status of the U.S. government in jeopardy with five days remaining before it begins running out of money to pay all its bills.”

“Sen. Richard Durbin (D., Ill.) said the delay was unfortunate but a deal could still be struck. ‘We're running out of time and options, but if there's an agreement, a real agreement, things can move quickly in the Senate and the House,’ Mr. Durbin said.”

“The vote, scheduled for 6 p.m., was delayed when it appeared Mr. Boehner didn't have the votes. A series of lawmakers who had said they would oppose the Boehner plan were summoned to the speaker's office as he attempted to persuade them to change their minds, creating an unusually stark scene of power politics.”

The House conservatives' opposition to Mr. Boehner's bill suggests any final compromise deal will need Democratic votes to pass the chamber.”

LA Times: Boehner, hitting another wall on debt limit plan, calls off vote

A revolt by conservative House Republicans stalemated efforts by the party's leadership to pass a bill raising the nation's debt ceiling Thursday night, with Speaker John A. Boehner and his aides calling off a scheduled vote after determining they were on the verge of a humiliating defeat.”

“With just days remaining before the federal government runs out of money to pay its bills, the setback weakened Boehner (R-Ohio) and strengthened the hand of Democratic congressional leaders in final efforts to forge a compromise to avert economic turmoil.”

“The setback in the House marked the second time this week that conservative opposition had forced Boehner to postpone a vote on his debt plan, and it dramatically illustrated the power of ‘tea party’ conservatives to upend the GOP establishment.”


With no Democrats pledging to support Boehner's bill, he could afford to lose only about two dozen of his members. As the evening wore on, it became clear that he was falling short of his goal.”

Roll Call: Boehner Delays Vote, Considers Changes to Debt Bill



