The phone call comes as the president plans to make a statement from the White House Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET, and take reporters' questions. Obama appears to be holding fast to a pledge he made to supporters at a rally last week: No talks with Republicans until they vote to pass a spending bill and raise the debt ceiling.
"The president called the speaker again today to reiterate that he won't negotiate on a government funding bill or debt limit increase," Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said Tuesday.
A statement from the White House clarified that Obama "is willing to negotiate" -- once Republicans approve the budget and debt-ceiling increase.
The phone call underscores how little progress has been made in reaching a deal ever since Congress missed a deadline to pass a spending bill, triggering a partial government shutdown.
House Republican leaders appear to have eased off their demand that ObamaCare be pared back as part of any spending package.
Boehner's appeal on Tuesday was for Democrats to come to the negotiating table.
"It's time for us to just sit down and resolve our differences," Boehner said. "There's no boundaries here. There's nothing on the table, there's nothing off the table."
House Republicans are introducing a bill that would actually create those negotiations. The bill would set up a team of House and Senate lawmakers from both parties to immediately start talks on the debt ceiling and other fiscal issues. The bill would also ensure pay for so-called "essential" government employees who are working through the partial shutdown.
"In a divided government, the American people expect us to work together," House Republican Leader Eric Cantor said.
But Democrats immediately cast doubt on the idea, with one likening it to the "super committee" that failed to reach an agreement to avert steep spending cuts known as the "sequester."
No comments:
Post a Comment