House GOP Leadership was finalizing language Tuesday afternoon for another proposal to end the government shutdown and lift the debt ceiling. They are scrambling to identify a mix of provisions that could attract enough conservative votes to pass the House. Several sources on Capitol Hill told Breitbart News that House Leadership is considering then leaving town, to put pressure on the Senate to act.
The House plan to offer another proposal to end the stand-off arose at a GOP caucus meeting Tuesday morning. The White House and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid swiftly rejected the new GOP plan, even though there were no details on the plan.
The GOP plan is expected to lift the debt ceiling until early February. It would fund the government for two-three months. Other rumored provisions include a two-year delay in the medical device tax, greater enforcement of income eligibility for ObamaCare subsidies, and a prohibition on health insurance subsidies to members of Congress and, possibly, Congressional staff.
House Democrats will not support the package, forcing Leadership to rely exclusively on Republican votes for passage, strengthening the hand of conservatives to shape the final proposal. The House is ultimately likely to pass something, given the GOP’s strong desire to move ahead of what it views as a very flawed deal emerging in the Senate.
Senate talks have stalled until the House makes its formal offer.
The House may then recess and leave town, adding pressure on the Senate to act. The nation hits its debt ceiling on Thursday, but it is all but assured that Congress will miss that deadline. Even if agreement were reached with all parties on Tuesday, there isn’t time to overcome procedural hurdles before the deadline.
The existential challenge for the GOP is that it has been debating with itself since the stalemate began at the beginning of the month. Neither Obama nor Reid have given any ground to reach a solution. They seem content, if not intent, on continuing the partial shutdown and risking default on the nation’s debt.
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