House Democrats Support Executive Order On Debt Limit

Vanessa Remmers

House Democratic leaders are prepared to stand behind President Obama if he issues an executive order to increase the debt ceiling in the event Congress fails to reach a debt limit deal before August 2.

“House Republicans have failed to govern, failure is not an option for our country, and therefore, you leave it to the President to take whatever action is within his power,” Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) said.

In his push for an executive order, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) drew from President Truman’s executive order in the 1940’s.

“[An executive order to raise the debt ceiling] will bring calm to the American people and stability to financial markets,” Clyburn said.

Both House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) and Clyburn said the President should veto a short-term debt ceiling increase with the same pen that he signs an executive order, even though both recognized the President’s firm stance on the issue.

In regard to House Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) budget plan, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) chuckled at its potential support and rumored uptick in momentum.

“The real question is how many Republicans would vote for it,” Larson said.

The final result of the budget battle remains uncertain as Larson admitted that more Democrats would vote for the Reid plan, but placed all predictions on conditional terms.

Kennedy: Democrats are here for workers

As the congressional Democrats announce their version of the budget they are emphasizing more domestic spending particularly in job creation and bolstering unemployment assistance. At a press conference after the Democratic budget was introduced on the Senate floor were Democratic Senators Debbie Stabenow (MI), Dick Durbin (IL), Edward Kennedy (MA) and Rep. Xavier Becerra (CA).

They said that they had three priorities to stimulate the American workforce in their Fiscal 2009 budget proposal: development of "green collar jobs" that build the renewable energy industry, education and job training so that American workers can compete in a global marketplace and a focus on jobs that create infrastructure, rebuilding roads and bridges. They also want to give further economic relief to working families by way of tax relief. Durbin said that the Bush administration has only continued to give "massive" tax cuts for "those who haven't asked for them and don't need them."

Becerra likened the U.S. government to a family struggling to make ends meet. He took out a credit card from his wallet, "We have been using the government credit card too long to make ends meet." He also spoke of how the United States continues to borrow from "creditors" like China. He threw out a total of $400 billion borrowed from China "so far."

Kennedy emphasized that the money had already been appropriated for growing unemployment infrastructure and had only to be authorized in this budget measure. Kennedy also said that this was a time for federal leadership to step in and help working families. He said that Democrats are there for the American worker.

When asked about the moratorium on earmarks supported by presidential candidates and Senate colleagues Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, both Stabenow and Durbin said that they would not support a moratorium on earmarks. "We need to amend it, not end it," said Stabenow and they both defended the process of earmarks as being open and transparent with the American people. Kennedy said he was opening to examining a moratorium as a solution.