WASHINGTON — House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said Thursday that Republicans have the votes to pass “Plan B” later in the day, along with the Spending Reduction Act, which would deal with the sequester.
“We’re going to have the votes to pass both the permanent tax relief bill as well as the spending reduction bill,” Cantor told reporters at a press conference Thursday.
The Spending Reduction Act was added to the agenda late Wednesday evening by the Rules Committee, in its determinations over whether to bring Boehner’s “Plan B” — which would extend tax cuts for Americans making less than $1 million — to the floor for a vote.
Adding the spending cuts bill suggests that Boehner would not have been able to pass “Plan B” without some spending limits to balance it out. A number of conservative groups came out against ‘Plan B’ on Wednesday, faulting it for raising taxes on those making over $1 million, and also for keeping the conversation focused on taxes instead of on spending.
“I am proud to sponsor the Spending Reduction Act,” Cantor said Thursday, “which replaces the sequester in the first year with responsible cuts that protect our national security and adds an approximate $200 billion in additional savings for deficit reduction. Now, the bill is designed to stop fraud, to eliminate waste, and, frankly, to replace the sequester that is indiscriminate in its cuts.”
House members will not head home for Christmas after this vote, scheduled for Thursday evening, Cantor said.
“We do not intend to send members home after this vote,” he said. “We want to stay here. We want to avoid the fiscal cliff from happening.”
