Posted on 07/27/2015 12:35:31 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
The House will not vote on a multi-year Senate highway bill that revives the now-expired Export-Import Bank, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Monday.
“We’re not taking up the Senate bill,” McCarthy declared to a roomful of reporters in his office.
Instead, McCarthy urged the Senate to take up a short-term House-passed bill which extends federal highway funding for five months, without renewing the Ex-Im Bank charter. He called the House bill the “best option” for Congress before money for highways, bridges and mass transit runs out on Friday.
McCarthy’s declaration is a blow not only to the Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) had teamed up to craft the bipartisan, long-term highway bill.
It’s also a blow to backers of the Ex-Im Bank, who had hoped the 81-year-old institution would be revived by catching a ride on the back of the Senate transportation bill. The charter for the bank, which provides loan guarantees to help U.S. corporations sell goods overseas, expired on June 30.
The Senate transportation bill authorizes highway funding for six years, but only provides three years in funding.
McCarthy, who controls the House floor schedule, said the lower chamber plans to leave for the August recess on Thursday. And he said it’s not fair for the Senate to send the House a massive 1,000-plus-page bill just days before the funding deadline.
Upon hearing about McCarthy’s remarks, Boxer, shot back at the fellow Californian, saying the House should follow the Senate’s lead and stay in session a week longer rather than decamp for the summer recess.
“You know what, we’re staying an extra week in August. You can stay an extra week in August. That’s not such a terrible thing,” Boxer said in a speech on the Senate floor.
McCarthy “says don’t send us a bill because we’re going home. Well, that’s their choice.
“If the House chooses to go out on vacation or a work period of whatever they do, that's their business. But it's our job to fix the problems we're facing,” Boxer said.
Another way out of the funding mess is an even shorter-term highway bill, perhaps one that provides just two or three months of transportation funding. McCarthy didn’t rule out that possibility, but he made clear his chamber had already passed a more-preferable five-month patch that gives Congress enough time to hammer out a longer-term, House-Senate deal.
“The five-month extension is the best bill to have so you can get a long-term bill that is fully paid for,” McCarthy said.
This story was updated at 3:23 p.m.
lol
“McCarthy’s declaration is a blow not only to the Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) had teamed up to craft the bipartisan, long-term highway bill.”
“CRAFT?” That’s another one of those “C” Words that when used by anyone int the Congress, causes my sphincter to tighten. Other “C” words include “Compromise” and “Common Sense!” Can you imagine what a “bipartisan” anything done by these two would look like? The NY Yenta from CA and the Post Turtle!
Boehner is where he belongs hiding under his desk with a bottle, and it sounds like the House might be pleased to have him stay there, this type of announcement you would only expect to hear from the Speaker himself, most interesting.
I DO.......I don't think this would have been possible if CRUZ hadn't shown the light, hopefully more will come out and show their support for CRUZ.
It's now or never. Put up or shut up forever more.
This is why, with all due respect, Sen. Cruz was out of line. I appreciate his passion, but he doesn’t know or chooses not to know how the game is played.
Surely, McConnell knew that the House would not take up this bill, especially with the Im-Ex bank amendment. But he gets to say he provided the vote. And let’s remember that a majority of Senate Republics were pressuring for the amendment.
I suppose this is just Sen. Cruz’s way of getting the spotlight on his moribund campaign (full disclosure, I’m a Walker guy at this point in time).
You don’t have to play nice, as Lamar chided him, but you have to place smart!
government should not be involved in profit-making ventures or subsidizing trade.
Wow. When did McCarthy grow a spine?
Cantor would have teed up reauthorization of the Ex-Im Bank in record time. I can’t believe these guys in the House weren’t bought off by the Chamber of Corruption like the Senate was.
I’ll make a bet that McConnell loses the Majority in the Senate come Nov. 16?
He said he wanted the Senate to work again. Fine, what he didn’t say was he was going to roll over for Harry Reid and Obama at every turn.
His OWN Words from the Campaign trail last fall will come back on the national TV Ad blitz next summer. It will be politically fatal for Mitch McConnell’s Majority Position.
“But McWattle had a deal!”
What, Boxer was going to fix him a Brisket?
Well, maybe the house is tossing us a little meat..
[cut a bank that has generated $7 billion in profits for the Treasury in the last 20 years, and which helps our exporters.]
You have posted this before which is promoted by the Chamber of Commerce. Because the bank uses some arcane accounting methods they falsely claim to produce profit. However, when the books are properly reported, the loss is 2 billion dollars per decade since the founding of the EX-IM bank.
Yes, it’s a comparatively good idea considering all the other slush funds, assuming they worked as intended to give US exporters who had no access to the funds needed through normal channels a chance to compete, but that never happened.
IMO, government should not be about picking winners and losers or helping one or the other ....period.
Any leeway you give government, they will corrupt.
McCarthy knows he has half of his members up for re-election in just 15 months. They were on the brink of a coup just a couple of weeks ago...this would push them over the edge.
They backed away from replacing Conservatives on Committees and now this. He knows the base is watching them very closely.
But I wouldn’t put it past them to call a vote after half the members have left town for vacation. It’s not like McCarthy or Boehner have any more integrity than McConnell.
Remember the Lies they told members just before they screwed them with the cromnibus vote.
I think Cruz’s fuss stopped the bill.
After Mitch ‘filled the tree’ I was convinced that they were making a real effort to pass the Highway and Ex-Im combo. Until then I thought not.
Cruz was right again.
You are right!
Cruz stopped that bill dead in its tracks.
That sounds about right, which also explains why they loan primarily to the biggest players now, who have no real need for the money.
“But it is good news the Ex-Im is dead for now.
Thank Cruz for that. His efforts made it impossible for the House to pass it now.”
Yes, thank you Ted for your efforts. They have paid off.
If Boehner actually shows some spine in dealing with the Senate squishes, it would be the first time. Color me very skeptical.
The system is so corrupt now, that it is used to garner political support from the beneficiaries of the program.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.