Tag: House Republican

Boehner reports no progress as focus shifts to Senate plan (Video)

The Hill Newspaper

Boehner reports no progress as focus shifts to Senate plan

By Russell Berman and Erik Wasson – 10/12/13 11:11 AM ET

Hopes for a deal to end the government shutdown and avert a U.S. default turned to the Senate on Saturday as House Republicans said their talks with the White House were effectively over.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) told House Republicans at a morning conference meeting that there has been little progress in negotiations with the White House.

Other members said talks had now shifted from the House to the Senate.

“It’s up to the Senate Republicans,” conservative Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) said as he left the meeting. “The president rejected our deal.” Continue reading “Boehner reports no progress as focus shifts to Senate plan (Video)”

Wall Street Visits Washington, the Grand Bargain Returns and Other Tales from the Kidnap House 3Comments

10/03/2013 Damon Silvers

The heads of the country’s largest banks and stock brokers came to Washington, D.C., yesterday to meet with President Barack Obama. Washington is the center of our national hostage drama—to use an old phrase, D.C. is the kidnap house. But we have seen this part of the hostage-taking drama before. First, the extremist House Republicans, who are deeply dependent on Wall Street money, threaten to force the United States into defaulting on its debts to achieve political objectives that Wall Street supports, like cutting Social Security. Then Wall Street pretends to be horrified that the United States might default on its debts, Treasury bonds that underpin much of the world financial system.

Enter the wise old men of Wall Street, many of them around long enough to have been dispensing wisdom back in 2007, when their advice led to the collapse of the global economy. The wise men go to see Obama, and they say, “Mr. President, you have to be the grown-up here, we can’t afford to have the United States default. We know it will be painful, but you have to give the Republicans some of what they want for the good of the country, just like you had to bail us out back in 2009 for the good of the country.” Continue reading “Wall Street Visits Washington, the Grand Bargain Returns and Other Tales from the Kidnap House 3Comments”

Shutdown, Day One: Updates

Shutdown, Day One: Updates

Carolyn Kaster/AP

With hundreds of thousands of federal employees furloughed and installations across the country closing down, the first shutdown of government since 1996 is underway. Our colleagues at National Journal will be posting updates all day, so check back here often.

UPDATE: 11:54 a.m.: Barricades Don’t Stop Veterans From Seeing World War II Memorial

A group of World War II veterans from Mississippi knocked over the barricades at the WWII memorial on Tuesday morning, despite it being closed due to the government shutdown, Stars and Stripes reporter Leo Shane tweeted.

There were reports that Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., was on her way to the memorial. (By Matt Vasilogambros) Continue reading “Shutdown, Day One: Updates”

House Sends Spending Bill Back to Senate, Brings Shutdown Closer

House Sends Spending Bill Back to Senate, Brings Shutdown Closer

A statue of George Washington stands in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Sunday morning, Sept. 29, 2013 as a government shutdown looms.
A statue of George Washington stands in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Sunday morning, Sept. 29, 2013 as a government shutdown looms. Cliff Owen/AP

The House approved a measure early Sunday morning that would fund the government through Dec. 15 while delaying implementation of Obamacare for one year, a politically risky maneuver that united House Republicans but pushes the federal government closer to a shutdown.

The legislation—which also includes an amendment to repeal the medical device tax and a separate provision to pay military members in the event of a shutdown—passed easily, putting the continuing resolution to keep the government running past Monday back in the Senate’s court.

“They might have to come back from their vacation,” said Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ga., who has led the charge for an Obamacare delay, before the vote. “Harry Reid has to now decide if he’s going to continue forcing this bad law on the American people.” Continue reading “House Sends Spending Bill Back to Senate, Brings Shutdown Closer”

House Leaves U.S. on Brink of Shutdown

House Leaves U.S. on Brink of Shutdown

By and

Saul Loeb/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A Government Shutdown, by the Numbers: A look at the costs, closures and other ramifications of a government shutdown.

WASHINGTON — The federal government on Saturday barreled toward its first shutdown in 17 years after House Republicans, choosing a hard line, demanded a one-year delay of President Obama’s health care law and the repeal of a tax to pay for the law before approving any funds to keep the government running.

Republicans emerged from a closed-door meeting Saturday unified and confident that they had the votes to delay the health care law and eliminate a tax on medical devices that partly pays for it. But before the House had even voted, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, said that when the Senate reconvened on Monday it would strip out both provisions.

The House’s action all but assured that large parts of the government would be shuttered as of 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday. More than 800,000 federal workers deemed nonessential faced furloughs; millions more could be working without paychecks. Continue reading “House Leaves U.S. on Brink of Shutdown”

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