Reid dares Republicans to oppose debt limit plan, White House offers support

Full video of Reid-Schumer press conference
 

Harry Reid has formally unveiled his proposal to raise the debt limit, offering a package that would extend the debt limit through 2013 while cutting $2.7 trillion. His proposal wouldn't touch Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security, nor would it raise taxes. Because it gives Republicans exactly what they've been demanding?spending cuts equal to the amount of the debt ceiling increase without any new taxes?Reid said it was a proposal that Republicans should be able to accept.

Reid nonetheless recognized that House Republicans haven't shown a willingness to say yes to anything, saying they appear "more interested in trying to embarrass the president than doing what's right for the country."

Reid announced his proposal alongside Sen. Chuck Schumer, who said the plan included $1.2 trillion cuts in discretionary spending, including both defense and domestic programs. It also includes $1 trillion savings from ending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, $100 billion in non-health care mandatory spending reductions, and $400 billion in interest savings.

Schumer described Reid's plan as "an offer Republicans can't refuse." If they do, he said, "It simply means they want to default." He placed blame for the crisis on House Republican leadership. "There are 100 people in the House who don't care if we default [...] and you've not seen the House Republican leadership stand up to them," Schumer said. "That's the problem here."

In a statement following Reid's press conference, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said President Obama supported Reid's efforts and said that it was time for Republicans to step up.

Senator Reid?s plan is a reasonable approach that should receive the support of both parties, and we hope the House Republicans will agree to this plan so that America can avoid defaulting on our obligations for the first time in our history. The ball is in their court.

Reid will file cloture on his plan today, which means there will be a cloture vote on Wednesday. He expressed optimism that it would get the 60 votes it needs to move to a final vote, saying that there wasn't anything in the proposal that Republicans hadn't supported in the past.

Republicans are likely to object from the decision to count savings from ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in his plan, but both Schumer and Reid pointed out that Republicans included those savings in the Ryan budget. "How can they say it's good when it's in their budget, but it's bad when it's our budget?" Schumer asked. Reid noted that all but five House Republicans and 40 Senate Republicans had voted for that plan.

Both also rejected Boehner's proposal for a short-term extension. Schumer said Boehner's decision to push that extension represents "a dangerous waste of time" because it cannot pass. "It kicks the can down the road for just a few months [...] after that we'd right back at square one," Schumer said. "Does anyone think it would be a good idea to do this all over again in six months?"

Boehner will speak to the media about his plan at 4:00 PM ET.

Source: http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/PCgoKgVg9ys/-Reid-dares-Republicans-to-oppose-debt-limit-plan,-White-House-offers-support

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