House passes debt-ceiling increase with no add-ons

CNBC ^

[Red in Blue PA]

This is a developing news story. An earlier version of the article follows:

House GOP leaders announced Tuesday they will advance this week an increase in the government's borrowing cap that's free of any add-ons. A vote is scheduled for Tuesday night because of the threat of a winter storm.

House Speaker John Boehner announced the plan after a poll of the Republican rank and file failed to show enough support for a plan to tie the hike in the debt limit to a plan to reverse a recently passed cut to military pensions.

The Ohio Republican said he expected virtually all of President Barack Obama's Democratic allies to vote for the so-called clean debt cap increase but that he would be one of the few Republicans to back it in the vote.

[Shadowstrike]

Jesus wept.

I really, really want to wake up from this nightmare...

[kabar]

We must absolutely stop the out-of-control spending. But the place to do that is when the spending is actually done, in the budget process, not by defaulting on our credit card bill.

Two thirds of the budget don't go thru the budget process. They are on automatic pilot.

And there is no way we can default since revenue is more than sufficient to cover our debt servicing costs, which are $221 billion a year.

We can't afford the spending in the first place. Playing games with default lets politicians pretend that we can, since they won't do the hard work of actually cutting a single bloated program. And then they go through this farce to pretend that they're actually the proper stewards of the public purse.

The ones playing games are those who say we are going to default and damage the faith and credit of the USG. There will be no default unless the WH plays games.

The "bloated programs" that are driving our debt are the entitlement programs. They must be reformed or they will consume the entire federal budget. Medicare is the worst offender of all. Congress does not do an annual budget for Medicare or Social Security. Our entitlement program costs will continue to soar as 10,000 baby boomers will retire every day for the next 20 years doubling the size of our population over 65. By 2030 one in five in this country will be 65 or older. Today, there are 3.3 workers for every retiree and by 2030 there will be just two. How much can we tax our children and grandchildren to pay for all of this? Answer: We can't. The programs are unsustainable.

This isn't the time to pick this fight.* We need instead to hold so-called "conservative" politicians accountable for the credit card bills they ring up. Pretending we won't pay the bill now is as disingenuous as it is dangerous.

In FY 2013 we spent $700 billion more than we collected in revenue. That is more than we spend on non-defense discretionary (the entire federal government except for defense) or more than the entire amount we spend on defense. Again, you must reform the so-called mandatories. Otherwise, it is impossible to balance the budget.

We are paying the bill by borrowing more money that future generations will have to pay back.

[kabar]

Who knows, as I am an Independent Conservative, who sees this infighting as destructive!

Not as destructive as out of control spending and a rapidly increasing national debt that threatens our very existence. We have kicked the can down the road so many times that we have run out of road. When will the GOP draw a line in the sand and say no further? We must reform our entitlement programs or have a disastrous fiscal crisis that will devastate everyone.

[Ghost of SVR4]

We are in serious trouble and nobody in D.C. seems to consider what will happen beyond the 2 year election cycle.

Have you considered both parties realize and know some very bad things are coming down the pike? Neither one want's to be politically responsible at this point in an effort to save their party vice the nation and it looks like both are betting we can make it through 2016 intact. We out "here" in the real world recognize differently of course which only lends to the idea that DC is hoplessly lost.

[Nextrush]

And that is the absolute truth.

Only ten GOP House members had the guts to oppose Boehner’s leadership at the beginning of this session.

They are the only ones I would call real conservatives and deserving of re-election this year.

[volunbeer]

I suspect some in both parties realize this lunacy can’t last forever, but doing the right thing is often not the easiest thing. I would expect honorable people to tell us the truth and act on it.

Our government resembles a dysfunctional heroin addict with endless access to the drug (debt). A majority of our citizens are either apathetic or ignorant. The politicians get wealthier and those who work pay more taxes. Instead of making hard choices and drawing a line in the sand there is just endless posturing for the next election. They shovel dirt on future generations so they don’t have to make real choices.

I suppose we can think tactically and hope fiscal sanity wins in the next election, but I am not hopeful and each time we pin our hopes on the next election the problem gets that much worse. The GOP controls the house and by law they control spending. The results have been disappointing.

[Redcloak]

“If you like your linguine-spined Republican, you can keep him.”

-The only promise Barack Obama has ever kept.

[Nextrush]

The vote was rigged to create a good image for many Republicans who don’t deserve it like Paul Ryan for example.

When the Murray-Ryan budget deal went through last year creating new taxes and cutting military pensions, a lot fewer House Republicans voted the right way against it.

Many of those who voted the right way in that case are running for Senate this year making their votes very suspect.

When Ted Cruz had dinner with House members last fall there were around 15 in the room. Aside from the Judas who was probably at the table, they are probably the only real conservatives we have in the House.

Only ten GOP House members had the courage to oppose Boehner’s leadership at the beginning of this session.

95 PERCENT OF ELECTED REPUBLICANS EITHER FAKE CONSERVATISM OR REPUDIATE IT.......

[LibLieSlayer]

Why are you not wishing that the gop/e would quit dividing us and attacking us and calling us names in the press? Why are you not angry that the gop/e hates the TEA Party and is working in collusion with the rats and the irs to crush our groups? Why are you not angry that the gop/e Never fight... they just whimper and make excuses and pass hitler’s agenda unchanged? Why do you point your finger of blame at us?

[Nickname]

Is there a list of who voted how on the leadership positions?

[Nextrush]

Justin Amash of Michigan, Tom Massie of Kentucky and Steve Stockman of Texas are on that list.

[Kackikat]

Obviously the GOP can do nothing unless they have a majority in the Senate, any one who understands politics would know that. So until they get the votes in the Senate, there will be no way to change anything. Keep beating them up verbally, not voting, and trying to get them to change things that they have no way of changing without the Senate....we all lose.

That is like tying someone to a bedpost and insisting they get up and untie themselves and leave...the whiners are the ones who don’t get how politics works, they just like complaining about it.

Of course, if the GOP ever gets the Senate would be the time to go after them for change,but until then their hands are tied! The far right conservatives are only a part of their voting block...they must appeal to everyone who votes GOP/independent and if the GOP works it right some of the blue dog democrat moderates may vote for the GOP, those who are patriotic and disillusioned with Obama.

No one says you should change your opinions, just quit trying to defeat the GOP....you don’t have the votes for your own party, yet, and now is not the time to “shoot all the rest of us in the foot” by helping the democrats.

The Democrats are your Tyrannical enemies.
WAKE UP: After the GOP has won the election is the time to insist on the changes you want, now is time to come together to win.

[kevkrom]

Boy, I’m really glad our side caved so quickly on the “shutdown” so we could rally the troops for the debt-limit fight. That was totally worth it, wasn’t it?

[Kackikat]

Why are you not wishing that the gop/e would quit dividing us and attacking us and calling us names in the press? Why are you not angry that the gop/e hates the TEA Party and is working in collusion with the rats and the irs to crush our groups? Why are you not angry that the gop/e Never fight... they just whimper and make excuses and pass hitler’s agenda unchanged? Why do you point your finger of blame at us?

BECAUSE YOU ARE HELPING THE DEMOCRATS GET RE ELECTED STUPID.
Obviously, you don’t understand politics. Without the Senate majority there is little the GOP can do to make your desired changes, the far right is not the majority of their voting block. The democrats are more united than the conservatives....and that works to Obama/Pelosi/Reid’ benefit.

So until you learn that nothing will change until the GOP gets the Senate, then you are a divisive tactic of the democrat party to help them win. Get educated on politics and how it actually works. The House has little real power to make legislative change without the votes in the Senate!
Keep up the traitorous attitude toward the GOP and you will end up with Tyranny, the democrats are counting on you and your whining buddies.

[central_va]

According to some of the political “sages” around here acting like a doormat is a wise political strategy.

[kevkrom]

And it's utterly ridiculous. The GOP controls the House - not one penny can be spent by the government without their say-so, yet they refuse to use that leverage to gain any concessions.

It's not about the Republicans needing anything to pass, it's the Democrats who need things to pass. With the White House and the Senate, they can set the agenda, but only if they get the House to go along. Despite that, Boehner has set the price for GOP cooperation to zero. That's not any kind of strategy, it's outright surrender.

[Nextrush]

The Washington Post published a story saying there were 12 votes against Boehner.

The other nine besides the three I mentioned.

Raul Labrador of Idaho (did not vote)
Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma (voted for RINO Eric Cantor)
Steve Pearce of New Mexico (voted for RINO Eric Cantor)
Ted Yoho of Florida (voted for RINO Eric Cantor)
Paul Broun of Georgia (voted for Allen West)
Louie Gohmert of Texas (voted for Allen West)
Tim Huelskamp of Kansas (voted for Jim Jordan)
Walter Jones of North Carolina (voted for David Walker)
Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina (did not vote)

Amash voted for Labrador, Massie voted for Amash and Stockman voted present.

[central_va]

I think the surname “Boehner” is French? IF so that would explain the fall down strategy.

[Nickname]

Thank you!

[Nextrush]

Both parties are moving us towards disaster at different rates of speed.

They are governing as a Uniparty as evidenced by the Murray-Ryan budget deal agreed to before Christmas.

You approve of the Paul Ryan budget deal with Patty Murray that created new taxes and cut military pensions???

Its funny to watch Democrats try to bring back the extended unemployment bennies and the Republicans the pension cuts they all voted for back in December.

We made fun of John Kerry in 2004 for being for the war against Saddam Hussein before he was against.

We got a whole bunch of politicians now who voted for cuts they are now against including Republicans.

The Uniparty government in Washington is raising taxes and cutting spending simultaneously like the big parties did in Western Europe to satisfy the banks and keep their nations credit ratings up.

THEY ARE NOT CUTTING THEIR SPENDING TO END THEIR DEBTS, JUST TRYING TO MANAGE THEM WITH HIGHER TAXES AND SMALL CUTS.

All those emotional arguments about party differences are a noisy diversion from what the Uniparty politicians are really doing.

The extension of the debt ceiling is the latest example of measures being taken to make the banks happy and keep up the credit rating of the US. The politicians are cronies with their business supporters as evidenced by everything from Medicare Part D all the way through TARP and the recent measures like sequester and the raising of Social Security taxes back to their old levels.