The House is planning to leave tonight without taking a vote on the fiscal cliff.
The Senate is still very much in session, and lawmakers in floor speeches this afternoon have referenced an imminent deal despite persistent differences on taxes and spending.
“The kind of things we’re hearing about the agreement, we might be able to go forward,” Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) just said on the floor.
“It looks like all of the tax things are going to be made permanent, but all of the other things that the middle class and America really depends on is extended for one year, maybe two years — one year or two years at the most, but the tax system is made permanent,” Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said earlier. “Well, I just think that’s grossly unfair — grossly unfair. As I’ve said before, no deal is better than a bad deal and this looks like a very bad deal the way this is shaping up.”
“I’ve been talking with people in the cloakroom and on the Senate floor, Republicans and Democrats alike,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told CNN. “…I think they’re going to get an agreement that’s something that can pass the Senate. And I would hope it would be in a bipartisan way. But no senator is going to say yes right now until they actually get a chance to see what’s in the agreement.”
House Republicans are holding a caucus meeting at 5 p.m., with one series of votes on measures not related to the fiscal cliff afterward.
So unless the caucus hears something at that meeting that makes leadership schedule a late-night vote, the U.S. is formally going over the cliff at midnight.
Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s (R-Va.) spokesman Doug Heye tweeted, “Attn Capitol Hill reporters: It is impossible for the House to schedule a vote on a deal that does not exist. Thank you.”
Consensus on the Hill has been that there’s a day of padding to wrap up negotiations as markets are closed tomorrow for the holiday.
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told MSNBC earlier in the day that “giving up is not an option for us.”
“If we can reach agreement, if we can have a unanimous consent in the Senate, I think there is still time to act. But, of course, it’s running out very, very quickly,” he said.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) echoed what lawmakers were hearing about negotiations finally falling into place.
“I certainly think I’m pleased that there may be a deal, bring some certainty to the American people,” he said on CNN. “I’m disappointed that the president took the eve of what might be a bipartisan deal to take a swipe at Congress once again.”
“I’ve said repeatedly that ultimately I’ll find a way to support something that brings certainly to the American people,” Issa added. “But I think that this likely bill is going to have too few cuts and it’s going to depend on a relatively small amount of people that candidly don’t represent enough money to bring a real fix to our trillion dollar deficit.”
Republican lawmakers were united in their disgust of President Obama’s early afternoon speech, backdropped by “middle-class taxpayers” in the Eisenhower office building and punctuated multiple times by quips and laughter.
“If Republicans think that I will finish the job of deficit reduction through spending cuts alone — and you hear that sometimes coming from them, that sort of after today we’re just going to try to shove only spending cuts down — well — shove spending cuts at us that will hurt seniors, or hurt students, or hurt middle-class families, without asking also equivalent sacrifice from millionaires or companies with a lot of lobbyists, et cetera — if they think that’s going to be the formula for how we solve this thing, then they’ve got another thing coming,” the president said.
“That’s not how it’s going to work. We’ve got to do this in a balanced and responsible way. And if we’re going to be serious about deficit reduction and debt reduction, then it’s going to have to be a matter of shared sacrifice — at least as long as I’m president. And I’m going to be President for the next four years, I think.”
Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) tweeted, “What the President did today set us back in civility, leadership and in deal making.”
“What did the President of the United States just do? Well, he kind of made fun – he made a couple of jokes. Laughed about how people are going to be here for New Year’s. Sent a message of confrontation to the Republicans,” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said on the floor. “I guess I have to wonder – and the American people have to wonder – whether the president really wants this issue resolved, or is it to his short term political benefit for us to go over the cliff. I can assure the president, I can assure him, that historians judge presidents on their achievements.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said the back-room negotiations were leading “to a lot of intrigue and dysfunction.”
“This place is so dysfunctional. You should bring the House bill to the floor and let every senator have their say about what they would like to see happen. There are 80 votes to avoid the fiscal cliff,” Graham said on Fox.
“But here is the number one issue for me: whatever money is raised between now and tomorrow I hope all it goes on the deficit and none of it goes to grow the government. And if any of it goes to grow the government, count me out.”
UPDATE: House Republicans have been told to stay close to the Capitol tonight just in case a deal comes through, and to take it easy on the New Year’s Eve cheer in case they are sent a bill by the Senate. If they’re not called back tonight, lawmakers have been told to be at the House by noon tomorrow.
And if any of it goes to grow the government, count me out.
When did Grahmnesty grow a set of balls?
“It looks like all of the tax things are going to be made permanent, but all of the other things that the middle class and America really depends on is extended for one year, maybe two years — one year or two years at the most, but the tax system is made permanent,”
I guess he means the raids on SS revenue to fund discretionary spending will be short term. Also sounds like the deal will trigger a fall in the dollar and credit downgrades, higher commodity prices, more billions to Saudi, etc. Consequences of deficits.
Sorry, shound have said the small respite in raids on SS revenue will be short.
As for Ceteris below, very funny! Even this “fiscal cliff” was devised by Boehner and gang during the last deal! And now they’re complaining about it! It is all like a meltdown in religious fervor when a cult leader is revealed as a fraud to his acolytes. Denial, finger pointing, everything blamed except their own gullibility. That’s what Bush’ Magical Deficit Worship did to people. They reinvented “conservatism” to profligacy.
My prediciton is that a deal with no substantial discretionary spending reduction will occur, forecasts thereby will show continued deficits. Therefrom the dollar will drop and their will be credit downgrades on US securities. Liberals will blame the Tea Partiers for something the Tea Partiers are diametrically opposed to–as the Dems have before. The economic-looney wing of the Republican party will act dumbfounded because such actions jar with the religious belief that deficits won’t matter, and they will just blame “entitlements” more.
I don’t see any way out of this circle. The crazies on both sides are the best funded.
“…no way out of this circle.”
I agree. Last year I said I would rather have Obama than Romney in order to accelerate the collapse. We have further to go before the real math kicks in and we hit bottom so hard that we return to more of a work/reward culture. Any deal simply kicks the can down the road. Dems and GOP – two of a kind at this point.
He is most likely just posturing. I have come to expect nothing of substance from this fixture. This RINO
Who says he did? There are others, and the deal had to pass through a Republican controlled House.
Boehner does not have to worry about any Republican opposition to whatever form of capitulation he offers. If it passes the Democrat Senate, it guarantees that all the Democrats in the House will vote for it. That means that he needs less that two dozen Republican votes to reach the 217 [there are 3 vacancies right now] needed to pass anything. Boehner has 42 committee chairs and whips he appointed who will do his bidding. The sell out can proceed apace.
Subotai Bahadur
The so-called fiscal cliff and the 10 year expiring Bush tax cuts both have GOP fingerprints on them. What is to love?
obama has proven himself not to be capable of the presidency .
Good.
When they cut spending in actual dollars . Then they can increase taxes on those not paying.
That would be the obama phone scum. Everyone should have “skin in the game” says the marxist POS obama.
536 people selling out over 300,000,000
To wild applause…
Hell is going to have a waiting line.
There IS a way out – but it is not an easy way.
Get ready for a “balanced approach.”
12/31/12 – Sen. Rand Paul speaks on fiscal cliff negotiations
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht_qjv54iB8&feature=player_embedded#!
I find this whole endless debacle laughable. Except that it’s not really funny. If us taxpaying working schmoes weren’t so busy trying to provide for this country, we would maybe head to D.C. with pitchforks and tar and feathers but we’re too busy in our roles as slave/whores.
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