Chris Moody, Yahoo! News
Congressional leaders are heading to the White House on Wednesday
afternoon to meet with President Barack Obama as the government shutdown
heads into its second day.
Obama invited House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to the White House to discuss a solution. Vice President Joseph Biden will also attend the meeting, a White House official said.
The meeting comes after the House and Senate failed to reach an agreement on federal spending levels this week, and House Republican leaders refused to hold a vote on a funding bill that didn’t also delay or defund part of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
“The president will urge the House to pass the clean [continuing resolution] to reopen the government, and call on Congress to act to raise the debt ceiling to pay the bills we have already incurred and avoid devastating consequences on our economy,” a White House official said in a statement.
The federal government shut down on Tuesday morning for the first time in 17 years. The impasse was reached after several proposals from House Republicans to link government funding to efforts to dismantle or weaken part of Obamacare — all of which Senate Democrats rejected, saying they would accept only a “clean” bill without any added provisions.
Wednesday’s White House meeting will be the first negotiations between congressional leaders and the president since the government shut down.
The House on Tuesday passed a bill requesting a conference committee to negotiate a deal, but Senate Democrats rejected it outright.
In a letter to Boehner Wednesday, Reid reiterated his call for House Republicans to hold a vote on a "clean" bill to fund the government for six weeks, and promised that he begin more broad budget negotiations when they did.
Republican leaders expressed skepticism, however, about the president's intention for the meeting.
“We’re pleased the president finally recognizes that his refusal to negotiate is indefensible,” said Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck in a statement. “It’s unclear why we’d be having this meeting if it’s not meant to be a start to serious talks between the two parties.”
And McConnell spokesman Don Stewart said, "Just yesterday, the president reaffirmed that he would not negotiate with Congress, and Senate Democrats actually voted not to negotiate. So frankly, we’re a little confused as to the purpose of this meeting.
"If the president wants to sit on the sidelines during this critical debate and is serious about Congress finding a solution, then he will urge Senate Democrats to agree to the request by the House of Representatives to convene a conference committee."
Meanwhile, the House is planning another round of votes on Wednesday to fund national parks, monuments, veterans' programs, and the National Institutes of Health during the shutdown. The Senate is expected to reject them.
Congressional leaders are heading to the White House on Wednesday
afternoon to meet with President Barack Obama as the government shutdown
heads into its second day. Obama invited House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to the White House to discuss a solution. Vice President Joseph Biden will also attend the meeting, a White House official said.
The meeting comes after the House and Senate failed to reach an agreement on federal spending levels this week, and House Republican leaders refused to hold a vote on a funding bill that didn’t also delay or defund part of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
“The president will urge the House to pass the clean [continuing resolution] to reopen the government, and call on Congress to act to raise the debt ceiling to pay the bills we have already incurred and avoid devastating consequences on our economy,” a White House official said in a statement.
The federal government shut down on Tuesday morning for the first time in 17 years. The impasse was reached after several proposals from House Republicans to link government funding to efforts to dismantle or weaken part of Obamacare — all of which Senate Democrats rejected, saying they would accept only a “clean” bill without any added provisions.
Wednesday’s White House meeting will be the first negotiations between congressional leaders and the president since the government shut down.
The House on Tuesday passed a bill requesting a conference committee to negotiate a deal, but Senate Democrats rejected it outright.
In a letter to Boehner Wednesday, Reid reiterated his call for House Republicans to hold a vote on a "clean" bill to fund the government for six weeks, and promised that he begin more broad budget negotiations when they did.
Republican leaders expressed skepticism, however, about the president's intention for the meeting.
“We’re pleased the president finally recognizes that his refusal to negotiate is indefensible,” said Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck in a statement. “It’s unclear why we’d be having this meeting if it’s not meant to be a start to serious talks between the two parties.”
And McConnell spokesman Don Stewart said, "Just yesterday, the president reaffirmed that he would not negotiate with Congress, and Senate Democrats actually voted not to negotiate. So frankly, we’re a little confused as to the purpose of this meeting.
"If the president wants to sit on the sidelines during this critical debate and is serious about Congress finding a solution, then he will urge Senate Democrats to agree to the request by the House of Representatives to convene a conference committee."
Meanwhile, the House is planning another round of votes on Wednesday to fund national parks, monuments, veterans' programs, and the National Institutes of Health during the shutdown. The Senate is expected to reject them.
No comments:
Post a Comment