Speaker of the House John Boehner wanted a vote on his debt-limit plan by Wednesday evening. Now, that proposal is being re-worked and re-written by his staff. Lawmakers are waiting to see if it will meet the promised level of spending cuts.
Boehner’s original plan revealed on Monday hit a major roadblock Tuesday evening when the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) scored the legislation and found that it only cut about $840 billion.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has signaled Boehner’s proposal will have trouble before it’s even released. At a Wednesday press conference, Reid said the Speaker’s plan will not get any Democrat votes in the Senate.
He went on to call it a “a big wet kiss for the right wing.”
For Republicans, tensions mounted in a caucus meeting Wednesday morning, when Boehner reportedly told House members to “Get your ass in line.”
Tempers also flared inside the meeting when Rep. Jim Jordan, Chair of the Republican Study Committee, was forced to apologize on behalf of a staffer who sent a list of lawmaker’s names to conservative groups for them to target.
At one point, one Republican lawmaker yelled “Fire him!” about the staffer. (Closed-door meeting erupts as GOP leaders hammer conservative faction)
But while the final text of Boehner’s revamped plan is not yet available, the whip count is growing in his favor, despite the tension. After the meeting, known switch to ‘yes’ votes include Reps. Tom Reed of New York, Blake Farenthold of Texas, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Bobby Schilling of Illinois.
Until the plan is released, though, it’s still a waiting game for House Republicans.