43 GOP Senators Sign Letter To Reid Saying They Won't Vote For His Bill UPDATE: House Kills Reid Bill

Not unanimous but close enough.

Dear Leader Reid:

We are writing to let you know that we will not vote for your $2.4 trillion debt limit amendment which, if enacted, would result in the single largest debt ceiling increase in the history of the United States. In addition to this unprecedented increase in borrowing authority, your amendment completely fails to address our current fiscal imbalance and lacks any serious effort to ensure that any subsequent spending cuts are enacted.

The plan you have proposed would not alter the spending trajectory that is putting our economy and national security at risk. In return for an unprecedented $2.4 trillion debt limit increase, your amendment reduces spending by less than $1 trillion over the next decade. Setting aside the $200 billion shortfall between the CBO scored savings and the $2.4 trillion debt limit increase, identified by the Congressional Budget Office, most of the proposal’s alleged savings are based on a false claim of credit for reductions in war-related spending that were already scheduled to occur. This amendment proposes no change to our military posture and, for that reason, these savings are the sort of widely ridiculed accounting gimmick that breeds cynicism about our ability to tackle our fiscal challenges. The only possible justification for a $2.4 trillion increase in borrowing authority is to allow the President to avoid any accountability for these issues before his 2012 election. It is by constantly putting off these tough decisions that we have found ourselves with a national debt nearly equal to the size of our gross domestic product. The time for action is now, we cannot wait until we accumulate another $2.4 trillion in debt.

For all of these reasons, we must oppose your unprecedented $2.4 trillion debt limit amendment. Given the nation’s enormous future spending challenges, it would be irresponsible to give the President this unprecedented additional borrowing authority without requiring the enactment of significant spending reductions and reforms. We urge you to abandon this reckless proposal and instead pursue a more responsible course of action that would rein in spending, reassure the financial markets, and help promote private sector job growth.

The hold outs are exactly who you expect...Brown, Collins, Snowe and Murkowski.

The House is voting on the origianl Reid bill (which the Senate hasn't voted on yet) and they'll kill it.

Meanwhile, Harry Reid is on the floor whining that the Senate has the filibuster. Durbin is now doing the same thing. This is the new Democratic tactic...bitch about the filibuster. This of course could have been dealt with in January. They didn't want to change the rule because they want it in place when they are in the minority.

So we're pretty much nowhere.

BTW-Don't waste your time primarying Scott Brown. A challenge from the right will only help him with Massachusetts voters. You really want to hurt him? Have DeMint go up there and do a couple of events praising him. That will really hurt Brown.

Durbin just said, "time is the essence". Of course, McConnell just said he'd agree to a vote right now but Team Democrat wants the day to complain. They have nothing else to do since the Reid bill is going to die TWICE...once this afternoon in the House and then in the Senate. This is just time killing while they try and figure out what comes next.

Oh and Durbin's righteous indignation against the filibuster? It's somewhat selective.

SEN. RICHARD DURBIN (D-IL): "Those Who Would Attack And Destroy The Institution Of The Filibuster Are Attacking The Very Force Within The Senate That Creates Compromise And Bipartisanship." (Sen. Richard Durbin, Congressional Record, 4/15/05, p.S3763)

• DURBIN: The Filibuster Is "[One] Of The Most Treasured And Cherished Traditions Of The United States Senate." "Many of us in the Senate feel that this agreement tonight means that some of the most treasured and cherished traditions of the United States Senate will be preserved, will not be attacked and will not be destroyed." (Sen. Durbin, "Statement of Sen. Dick Durbin Regarding the Agreement on Judicial Nominations in the Senate," Press Release, 5/23/05)

UPDATE: The GOP preemptive strike against the Reid Plan is complete. This apparently is Reid 1.0 (which was amended by Reid last night) and it was defeated 173 Yes-246 No. I'll look for the final total but about a dozen Democrats voted No (11 was final total).

Cantor says only a pro-forma session tomorrow for the House, so nothing will pass before Monday.

posted by DrewM. at 01:35 PM

| Access Comments