Senate Beats Deadline, Approves Stopgap Measure

UPDATE: By a vote of 79-12, the Senate on Monday approved a stopgap measure to keep the government funded through November 18.

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This story was updated for a second time at 7:38 pm EST

UPDATE: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will hold a vote Monday night on a bill to keep the government funded through November 19 and provide the Federal Emergency Management Agency with nearly $3.7 billion in funding. 

The Senate bill mirrors a House-passed bill that was shot down by the upper chamber Friday. The only difference is that proposed spending cuts aimed at offsetting FEMA’s funding are excluded from the Senate’s version. 

Though FEMA is running short on time and was previously expected to exhaust the little funding it has left by Tuesday, Senate aides have indicated that the disaster aide agency actually has enough money to keep it operational through Thursday. 

If Congress fails to act before Friday, Sept. 30, the United States government will face the threat of a government shutdown for the third time in 2011.

This story was updated at 11:24a.m. EST…

Washington, D.C. - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) called on House GOP leadership to “cool off” and requested they meet with him over the weekend to hash out an agreement on funding the government and keeping FEMA afloat.

The move, which puts next week’s prospects of a congressional recess on hold, comes on the heels of the upper chamber’s rejection of a spending measure the House passed early Friday that would keep the government funded through November 19.  

The Senate voted 59 to 36 Friday in favor of tabling the House’s proposal.  

“If [House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio)] thought he could just send us this bill… and leave town, I think he ought to take a look at the roll call we just had,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told reporters, referring to the 7 Republican senators who crossed party lines to table the House’s bill.  

A Senate bill that Democratic leaders now say matches the $3.65 billion in FEMA funding proposed by the House is scheduled to be considered Monday evening, but does not include the GOP’s spending cuts offsetting emergency funding. 

In fact, Reid shot down the notion of adding offsets to the Senate’s bill when asked by reporters if he would consider the move should the Senate bill fail Monday.

Prior to Reid’s request to meet with Speaker Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) over the weekend, the House GOP leaders indicated at an earlier press conference that the House planned to adjourn as scheduled following Friday votes. 

With FEMA expected to exhaust its current budget by early next week, Cantor said regarding the possibility of returning next week, “If we are back, that means Harry Reid has shut down FEMA.”

Click here to see photos from today’s press conference. 

Cantor Assails Obama On Debt Negotiations

By Philip Bunnell

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) pointed his finger at the Obama administration Tuesday, saying an outlandish Democratic budget is the reason the country is in its current fiscal situation.

“We wouldn’t even be having these discussions if we had not brought forward that budget,” Cantor said. “Now we’ve got a situation where the president continues to say that he wants the big deal [and] that he’s the one that wants to go and tackle the entitlement programs in this country.”  

The White House and congressional leadership continue to spin their wheels as current negotiations have stalled after Democrats and Republicans dug their heels in the sand, refusing to budge on entitlements and taxes, respectively. 

“Yesterday’s discussions were not very fruitful,” Cantor bluntly told the audience. “For the president to say that he wants the big deal,” “I question that and what I would like to know is where are the details?”

Cantor and other GOP leaders were scheduled to meet with the President and Democratic leaders at the White House today, as they continued to try and find common ground on the debt ceiling.

Cantor Defends GOP Position In Debt Negotiations

By Philip Bunnell

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) accused President Barack Obama of attacking Republicans “work ethic” one day before he and other GOP leaders are scheduled to meet with President Obama and Congressional leaders at the White House to negotiate raising the debt ceiling.

“We’ve been working,” Cantor responded during a briefing Wednesday, citing the six weeks of negotiations the GOP had with Vice President Biden.  “And for the president to suggest that we’ve not been hard at work,” Cantor continued, “I’m going to tell him tomorrow, come on!”

Cantor also refuted the President’s claim that Republicans had walked out of negotiations over corporate jet entitlements and tax loopholes. The House Leader dismissed the jet issue as “not serious,” and that he would “talk tax loopholes,” but that tax hikes on businesses were the reason the GOP walked.

The Virginia Republican addressed questions over the proposed cuts, saying that they “will demonstrate that we will actually begin to get the fiscal house in order, and that we’re going to change the way this town does business and stop spending money we don’t have.”  Cantor described the cuts as “historic” and necessary.

Responding to a recent report by the Washington Post that showed a sharp increase in income inequality, Cantor defended high-earners.  “Certainly there’s a concern when it comes to these kinds of salaries, but the concern lies with the shareholders of those companies,” said Cantor.  The Majority Leader concluded that it is “important to protect those individuals who are job creators,” and again cautioned against raising taxes in a “sputtering economy.”

Boehner, Cantor Call On Reid To Bring Repeal Bill To Senate Floor

House Republican leadership remain focused on proceeding with a vote early Wednesday evening to repeal President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, despite hearing criticisms that the repeal bill will die in the Senate. 

“Congress can do better,” House Speaker John Boehner (Ohio) told reporters Wednesday morning. “I just think it’s time to listen to the American people and do this the right way.”

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) called on his Democratic counterpart in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), to bring the repeal bill to the Senate floor for a full vote should it get through the House. Referring to the notion that this would be a “results driven Congress,” Cantor said he found it counterproductive for Democrats to assume the repeal bill would not carry the same support in the Senate as it would in the House.

“The American people deserve a full hearing, they deserve to see this legislation go to the Senate for a full vote,” Cantor said. “Interestingly Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) says that this is a political win for the Democrats, if so let’s see the votes.”

With the idea of “repeal and replace” in mind, both Boehner and Cantor said that a resolution will be brought to the House floor Thursday that will set the stage for committees to begin drawing up an “alternative vision” bill.

Boehner And New GOP Leaders: We'll Do The American People's Will

By A.J. Swartwood-Talk Radio News Service 

 John Boehner, Speaker-Elect (R-Ohio) of the House of Representatives, and the newly chosen GOP leadership renewed their commitment to do the will of the American people and change the way Congress does business Thursday morning.

“This is not about us, it’s about the American people. Because it’s the American people who are in charge,” said an upbeat Boehner.

 Boehner was surrounded by his new leadership team which included Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Virg.) the new Majority Leader, Jeb Hansarling (R-Texas) the incoming Republican Caucus Chairman, and Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) the new Majority Whip. 

 “They want a congress that focuses on the people’s priorities: cutting spending, creating jobs, and reforming the way congress does its work… and that’s exactly what were going to do,” he declared.

 The Ohio Congressman also made mention of an earmark ban that the Republicans adopted earlier in the day, citing it as a sign of a new era in Washington politics.

 “That shows we’re listening and shows we’re serious about ending the business as usual here in Washington D.C.”