Raise The Roof (Or the Debt Ceiling...)

Negotiations to raise the debt ceiling for six weeks were over almost as quickly as they began. Late Thursday night, we started to hear that Congressional Republicans were going to meet with the White House to discuss possible negotiations. But early Saturday morning, House Republicans left their meeting with no deals and no plans for the coming days.[1]

           

With the threat of the nation’s default hanging over their heads, Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader McConnell (R-KY) met to negotiate.[2] On Saturday, Senator Reid introduced a bill that would raise the debt ceiling to 1.1 trillion which would keep our country from defaulting until after the elections in 2014.[3] Unfortunately, fewer than sixty senators voted to proceed to debate which means that cloture on the motion to proceed was not achieved.[4]

           

In layman’s terms, that means that not enough Senators voted to debate on the bill. The vote fell mostly along party lines, with 53 Senators voting for the motion and 45 voting against. 60 Senators must vote yes to achieve cloture (which basically ends debate on something).[5]

Senator Reid, however, at the last minute, switched his vote to a no, which leaves him the opportunity to bring up the same bill at a later time.[6]

The Senate is debating again today, and we will all (well, maybe just me) anxiously await the possibility of a bill that will fix our most recent fiscal crisis.

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[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/us/politics/budget-and-debt-limit-debate.html?_r=0

[2] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/us/politics/budget-and-debt-limit-debate.html?_r=0

[3] http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/328225-white-house-slams-senate-gop-for-blocking-debt-ceiling-hike-

[4] http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/328225-white-house-slams-senate-gop-for-blocking-debt-ceiling-hike-

[5] http://democrats.senate.gov/2013/10/12/roll-call-vote-on-cloture-on-mtp-to-s-1569-debt-limit-dec-31-2014/

[6] http://democrats.senate.gov/2013/10/12/roll-call-vote-on-cloture-on-mtp-to-s-1569-debt-limit-dec-31-2014/

October Crisis Part 2: This Time It's Our Debt

At last, like a light in the darkness, we are starting to hear whisperings of the possibility of debt limit negotiations.

Friday, GOP leaders met with President Obama to talk about raising the debt ceiling for six weeks[1] This bill will include a short-term debt limit increase as well as a promise to go to conference, in exchange for a promise from Obama to discuss long-term deficit reduction solutions. Speaker Boehner (R-OH) also hopes the talks will include negotiations to end the government shutdown.

That’s right. There are no current plans to end the government shutdown, merely a promise to raise the debt ceiling for a short six weeks.

So who is happy about this? The short answer is almost no one. Conservative Republicans are upset because many have promised never to vote on a clean debt ceiling raise.[2] The Democrats are unhappy because they do not think raising the debt ceiling for six weeks enough. They would prefer a long-term solution, possibly a year.[3] Senator Reid (D-NV) said this six week raise was “never going to happen” but did promise to wait and see what the House does.[4] For the Majority Leader, reopening the government with the clean continuing resolution is a top priority that he believes should be addressed with the raise of the debt limit.

As the shutdown drags, Republicans are beginning to appear more willing to negotiate. This is partly due to recent polling data that shows that only 28% of people view the Republican Party as favorable, the lowest number that has been reported since 1992.[5]

           

They might not listen to their constituents, or party leaders, or the president, but all politicians listen to poll numbers. Let’s hope this is enough to motivate all sides to negotiate.

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[1] http://www.nationaljournal.com/congress/signs-of-thaw-as-house-gop-proposes-short-debt-limit-extension-20131010

[2] http://www.nationaljournal.com/congress/signs-of-thaw-as-house-gop-proposes-short-debt-limit-extension-20131010

[3] http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57606888/house-republicans-propose-short-term-debt-limit-hike/

[4] http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57606999/10-days-after-government-shutdown-obama-and-gop-start-negotiating/

[5] http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/10/republicans-are-setting-new-records-unpopularity/70367/

Ending the Shutdown

It’s very easy to look at the government shutdown and feel an overwhelming sense of anger and despair. I would know. I’ve been feeling that way for almost a week. It can seem like there is no end in sight, and that Congress will never reach a compromise and reopen the government.

But do not despair blog readers (all two of you)! This shutdown could end tomorrow if Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) would allow the House to vote on the clean continuing resolution that the Senate has passed.

But Bella, you say, that’s not possible. The House is controlled by Republicans!

Thankfully, there are some Republicans out there who would vote for the clean continuing resolution to fund the government through November. The Senate Democrats count 21 Republicans who have pledged to vote for the clean CR[1], and a recent Washington Post blog post counts 20[2]. 195 Democrats have signed a letter to Boehner calling for him to pass a clean CR[3]. If the Democrats can get one or two Republicans on their side (which by some accounts, they have already done) the clean CR would pass the House by a slim majority.[4]

So why hasn’t Boehner even brought this to the floor? Because there is a common practice in politics, known as the Hastert Rule. This says that a speaker can only bring legislation to the floor if a majority of the party in power agrees with it. However, the practice is misnamed, as this is not a hard and fast rule.[5] There is nothing in procedure of the House that says this is a rule that must be followed. Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) violated the rule seven times while she was Speaker of the House and Speaker Boehner has passed four bills without the support of the majority party.[6]

If the Hastert Rule isn’t technically a real rule, why does Boehner refuse to bring the clean CR bill to the floor of the House? It could be that he is worried it will pass, and the government will reopen without his party “getting anything” from the shutdown.

Speaker Boehner insists the resolution wouldn’t pass, but on Sunday, Senator Schumer (D-NY) challenged the speaker to put it on the floor Monday or Tuesday and see if it passed.[7] While it does not seem likely that Boehner will put the clean CR up Monday or Tuesday, there is bipartisan support to re-open the government, which means an end to the shutdown isn’t far off.

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[1] http://www.dpcc.senate.gov/?p=news&id=265

[2] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/10/02/the-fixs-clean-cr-whip-count/

[3] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/10/06/majority-of-house-appears-to-support-clean-cr/

[4] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/10/02/the-fixs-clean-cr-whip-count/

[5] http://www.nationaljournal.com/congress/dennis-hastert-there-is-no-hastert-rule-20131003

[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastert_Rule

[7] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/10/06/boehner-says-no-clean-cr-schumer-says-it-would-pass/

What to do if you're angry about the government shutdown:

1. Call your Congressperson or Senator. Or both.

List of numbers is here: 

www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

www.house.gov/representatives/

There is no step 2. Just call your Senator or Representative and tell them how ridiculous and harmful this government shutdown is. Urge them to pass a clean continuing resolution without any policy attached to it so our country can get back on track. Maybe give an example of how this government shutdown is affecting you.

Make your voice heard. Your elected representatives do take that into account.