In a sign that lawmakers are growing increasingly anxious over a pending deadline to increase the nation’s borrowing limit, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., was forced to withdraw a bipartisan measure endorsing U.S. military involvement in Libya in order to refocus the Senate on talks to raise the debt ceiling.
Reid’s move was followed by an announcement by President Obama that he would meet with Republican and Democratic leaders Thursday at the White House to discuss the debt ceiling, which Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said must be raised by Aug. 2.
In a brief statement, Obama warned that he would not endorse a deal to raise the debt ceiling for just a few months.
“I believe that right now we’ve got a unique opportunity to do something big, to tackle our deficit in a way that forces our government to live within its means, that puts our economy on a stronger footing for the future and still allows us to invest in that future,” Obama said.
Reid pulled the Libya bill after a string of GOP lawmakers came to the Senate floor, denouncing the Libya measure as an excuse to keep the Senate operating this week. Reid had canceled a weeklong recess in order to focus on the debt ceiling negotiations, but with no legislation to vote on concerning the negotiations, he scheduled a vote to begin debate on a resolution that would have endorsed the mission in Libya for another year.
“Just to speak to how dysfunctional the United States Senate is, we are here over the debt ceiling,” said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., “But instead of focusing on the issue at hand, we are going to focus on something that is possibly irrelevant and has nothing whatsoever to do with the issue at hand, just to make the American people think we are doing something.”
Although it was co-sponsored by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., many Republicans were opposed to the high cost of the mission and the fact that Obama did not seek congressional approval before it began. Moreover, many senators were absent on Tuesday.
Reid replaced the resolution with another measure that is sure to be a nonstarter with most Senate Republicans.
The Senate as early as Thursday will vote on a “Sense of the Senate on Shared Sacrifice” resolution that those earning $1 million or more should pay more taxes.
The measure is nonbinding and is aimed at putting political pressure on Republicans, who Democrats often portray as protecting the rich at the expense of lower-income earners.
The deadlock on the Senate floor isn’t likely to be loosened by the White House meeting Thursday. Obama on Tuesday called for a “balanced” approach to resolving the debt ceiling impasse, which means he wants tax increases and stimulus spending coupled with spending cuts.
But Obama’s proposals will gain no traction among House Republicans.
“The legislation the president has asked for, which would increase taxes on small businesses and destroy more American jobs, cannot pass the House, as I have stated repeatedly,” said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. “I’m happy to discuss these issues at the White House, but such discussions will be fruitless until the president recognizes economic and legislative reality.”
