Boehner On Senate's Budget Plan: Pass The Damn Thing

Reports saying Senate Democrats had reached a compromise with Republicans regarding how much to cut from the remainder of FY2011’s budget have left House leadership frustrated. 

“Now the Senate says, ‘We have a plan.’ Well great, pass the damn thing and send it over here and let’s have a real negotiation,” House Speaker John Boehner said Wednesday. 

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor added to Boehner’s frustration and said the House would be considering The Prevention Of A Government Shutdown Act, a piece of legislation that would prevent Congress and the President from being paid during a prospective shutdown.

A provision in this piece of legislation would assign H.R. 1, the House’s original budget proposal, as “the law of the land” should the Senate fail to act before the continuing resolution expires on April 8. 

“We are serious, we want to take care of this problem so we can get on about the business of the nation and get Americans back to work,” Cantor said. 

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.