Senate Compromise Includes McConnell Debt-Limit Proposal

National Review ^ | 10/16/2013

[markomalley]

Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell has floated a proposal for a couple years now as a last-chance way to avert a crisis and allow the president to raise the debt ceiling without congressional approval, with Congress having the ability to strip that authority with a two-thirds veto – and that’s sort of what the bill to be voted on tonight provides for (see pages 24 ff. of the bill).

Assuming it passes tonight, the debt ceiling will be suspended until February 7, meaning the treasury can borrow what it needs to fund obligations until then. Then within the next 14 days, the House and Senate can introduce bills disapproving of this authority and preventing the president from borrowing any more (existing debts incurred will be honored), and subject to some other rules, they can pass a joint resolution doing so, undoing the suspension of the debt ceiling. But the president will of course veto that measure, and it will only survive and reinstate the ceiling before February 7 if two thirds of both houses vote to override the president’s veto.

This doesn’t, contra Breitbart, lessen Congress’s power on the debt ceiling, except inamsuch as the bill’s passage means the debt ceiling will be suspended until February 7. It certainly would empower the president and reduce Congress’s power, of course, if it applied to future scheduled increases (which McConnell’s proposal at times has), but it doesn’t.

[markomalley]

See here for the actual bill that passed. The debt ceiling part starts on page 24 of the bill.

I disagree with National Review on this: McConnell and the other turncoat Republicrats gave Obama a blank check last night. They are traitors to their oath.

For more, see this summary, buried in the Politico:

The legislation also includes a McConnell-written proposal that would allow Congress to disapprove of the debt-ceiling increase. Lawmakers will formally vote on rejecting the bump of the borrowing limit - if it passed, it could be vetoed by Obama.

The deal would also deliver back pay to furloughed federal workers, require a study of income verification for people seeking health-insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and also allows the Treasury Department to use extraordinary measures to pay the nation’s bills if Congress doesn’t raise the debt ceiling in a timely fashion.

[Iron Munro]

Senate Compromise Includes McConnell Debt-Limit Proposal

McConnell Bends Over For Obama, Uses US Constitution To Wipe Up

[don-o]

Mark Levin was shaken when this story broke while he was on live last evening. I am waiting to see his take on this

[1010RD]

So they passed a debt ceiling suspension until Feb. 7, but then get to vote to undo that suspension prior to Feb. 7, but the debt ceiling limitation returns on Feb. 7 and must be suspended or raised again on or before Feb. 7?

Is that what NR is saying?

[Jacquerie]

So Congress illegally, unconstitutionally amended Article I § 8, “To borrow money on the credit of the United States.”

Remember how we howled when the Pelosi/Reid congress slipped bills through outside of the hearing process so that members could not know their contents?

I doubt I will vote in further federal elections. What is the point? Why condone this corrupt system? Why affirm support of tyranny?

[Little Ray]

I have to wonder what the ‘Pubbies think they have accomplished.
The MSM still hates them.
The Democrats still know they are fools, idiots, and milquetoasts.
The public will see them as being weak and confused.
They have betrayed the most dedicated and enthusiastic part of their base.
And they have failed to look after the interests of our nearly bankrupt country.

2014 is coming and it is going to be a bloodbath - for the ‘Pubbies.

[cincinnati65]

As I understand it, the provision says that debt limit increases are automatic unless Congress specifically votes not to allow the increase, as opposed to having to vote to increase the debt ceiling. Thus, Congress effectively turned control of the debt ceiling to the President go forward.

[jaydee770]

"...I doubt I will vote in further federal elections. What is the point? Why condone this corrupt system? Why affirm support of tyranny?..."

"The free market is a bathroom scale. We may not like what we see when we step on the bathroom scale, but we can't pass a law making ourselves weigh 165lbs. Liberals and leftists think we can."

-- P. J. O'Rourke from his book, "Do Not Vote, it Just Encourages the Bastards"

We can now add the GOP to those who think they can legislate *anything*...

[popdonnelly]

Hey, that was awfully generous of Senator McConnell, and he got nothing in return. And they wonder why conservatives don’t like them.

[popdonnelly]

Giving Obama the authority to unilaterally raise the debt limit is like giving him free coke.

[jpsb]

On the face of it McConnell has out smarted himself once again. He thinks that if the Rats and the administration raise the debt ceiling against GOP votes that the Rats and the administration will take the political blame. Now that might work on low info voters but the GOP base is anything but low info voters. The GOP base will know and let everyone else know that it was the GOPe that enabled the Rats to raise the debt and the GOP will take the hit. Nice job McConnell, once again you give away real power and get NOTHING in return. Either McConnell is really stupid or he is sly like a fox, maybe he looking for a way to back the globalist bankers without taking to much heat. If so, his is a very clever plan. You decide.

[RedMDer]

Please donate today!

[keving]

Someone needs to file an Friend of the court lawsuit in their Dustrict Court to deal with. 3 judge panel appeals directly to SCOTUS?

[William Tell]

From the article: "... with Congress having the ability to strip that authority with a two-thirds veto ..."

As I remember it, there is no such thing as a Congressional "veto". Congress has certain powers and only a Constitutional amendment can change that.

There is no way that this Congress or any other can bind a future Congress in a way that requires more than a majority of votes to change.

It would also be unconstitutional for Congress to pretend that their authority to make spending decisions can be delegated to anyone else. Such authority remains with Congress and is there whenever they wish to exercise it. Bills claiming to give up their authority are unConstitutional nonsense.

[Iron Munro]

Hey, that was awfully generous of Senator McConnell, and he got nothing in return. And they wonder why conservatives don’t like them.

Maybe not.

Mitch McConnell Accused of Sneaking in $2 Billion ‘Kentucky Kickback’ in Budget, Debt Limit Deal – So Is It True?

[jeffc]

McConnell needs to be sent home, booted from the Republican Party, or both!

[jeffc]

No, he got a $2.9 billion boondoggle for his home state. McConnell: bought and sold by the Democrat Party, and he’s probably still trying to figure out why people compare him to Benedict Arnold.