The Republican-controlled House on Saturday dismissed a new proposal by Senate Democrats to end the fiscal crisis before the Senate even voted on it, deepening the ongoing federal budget stalemate.
In an effort to send a message to Senate leaders of both parties, the Housevoted 173 to 246 against the proposal by Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, to show it had no future in the House.
During a heated debate, Republicans and Democrats traded accusations over who would be responsible for a government default if no compromise was reached by next Tuesday, with Republicans defending the plan they sent to the Senate on Friday only to see it rejected almost immediately.
On Twitter, Speaker John A. Boehner called the Senate measure “DOA” and a “non-starter in the House.” Republicans also said the $2.5 trillion in savings in the measure were illusory.
“This Harry Reid bill is full of budget gimmicks that don’t get the job done,” said Representative Sean Duffy, a freshman from Wisconsin.
Democrats accused Republicans of a cynical move. Representative Sander M. Levin, Democrat of Michigan, said the symbolic vote was a “disgraceful moment” in the House.
“You are trying to throw a monkey wrench into the Reid bill before it even leaves the station,” Mr. Levin told Republicans.
Though the current Senate plan was in serious trouble, Democrats and the administration were exploring ways to adjust it to win some Republican backing and send it back to the House as a final offer to raise the debt limit and avert a default after Tuesday.
If a measure were able to win significant bipartisan endorsement in the Senate, the reception in the House could be different with the Treasury Department’s deadline for increasing the debt limit imminent.
But Mr. Reid on Saturday said Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, was dragging his feet on beginning talks to find a compromise solution, and he called on Republicans to offer their plans to alter his measure.
“We have heard very little from the Republicans,” Mr. Reid said on the floor. “My friend the Republican leader must generate some more action on the part of his Republicans.”
Mr. Reid called for the Democratic plan to be set aside to let talks begin and urged the involvement of President Obama.
Join us in defending the truth before it’s too late
The future of independent journalism is uncertain, and the consequences of losing it are too grave to ignore. To ensure Truthout remains safe, strong, and free, we need to raise $43,000 in the next 6 days. Every dollar raised goes directly toward the costs of producing news you can trust.
Please give what you can — because by supporting us with a tax-deductible donation, you’re not just preserving a source of news, you’re helping to safeguard what’s left of our democracy.