Page 3 - atoday
P. 3
U.S. NEWS A3
Wednesday 28 October
No Shutdown, No Default: Congress, Obama Back Deal
ERICA WERNER “I didn’t want him to walk threat of “fiscal cliffs” by a providing $80 billion more compromise, which hasn’t
AP Congressional Corre- into a dirty barn full of you- GOP-led Congress in the for military and domestic been happening in Wash-
spondent know-what. So I’ve done middle of a campaign programs, paid for with a ington a lot lately,” the
WASHINGTON (AP) — Striv- my best to try to clean season where Republicans hodge-podge of spending president said.
ing to end a cycle of crisis, it up,” a good-humored are aiming for the White cuts and revenue increas- Said Vice President Joe
congressional leaders and Boehner told reporters af- House and trying to hang es touching areas from tax Biden: “It will prevent us
the White House united ter a closed-door gather- onto their slim Senate ma- compliance to spectrum from lurching from crisis
Tuesday behind an am- ing of House Republicans, jority. Struck over recent auctions. to crisis.” Congressional
bitious budget and debt his last such weekly meet- days in closely held talks The deal would also avert Democrats have pushed
deal aimed at restoring ing after nearly five years with White House officials a looming shortfall in the for months for such a deal,
a semblance of order to as speaker and a quarter- and top House and Senate Social Security disability bottling up routine spend-
Capitol Hill and ending the ing bills in an effort to pro-
threat of government shut- Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., right, walks from a meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington. Speaker John duce negotiations that
downs and defaults until Boehner is pressing ahead with one last deal as he heads for the exits, pushing to finalize a far- would result in increased
well after a new president reaching, two-year budget agreement with President Barack Obama before handing Congress’ domestic spending. With
takes office. top job over to Ryan this week, congressional officials said Monday. resignation, one of the
The outgoing House speak- conservative rebels, Rep.
er, Republican John Boeh- (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Thomas Massie of Ken-
ner of Ohio, prepared to tucky, complained of the
push the deal through century on Capitol Hill. leader of both parties, the trust fund that threatened deal and Boehner: “We
his unruly chamber on During the meeting, Re- agreement would raise the to slash benefits, and head can’t stop it. He’s in league
Wednesday as his last act publican lawmakers had a government debt ceiling off an unprecedented in- with the Democrats.”
before departing Congress parting gift for Boehner: a until March 2017, remov- crease in Medicare pre- But Massie also said that
at the end of the week. golf cart with Ohio license ing the threat of an un- miums for outpatient care “it’s a long game” and
All but forced to resign un- plates reading “MR SPKR”. precedented and market- for about 15 million ben- that conservatives are
der conservative pressure, Boehner told them he had rupturing national default eficiaries. Obama said the winning the war after forc-
Boehner was nonetheless a gift in return: the budget just days from now. At the budget deal “reflects our ing Boehner to resign and
going out on his own terms. deal. same time it would set the values” and responsibly cowing his heir apparent,
The budget deal stands as The deal would boost mili- budget of the government pays for investments in the Majority Leader Kevin Mc-
an in-your-face rebuttal to tary spending as sought through the 2016 and 2017 middle class and national Carthy, into dropping his
his hardline antagonists, on by defense hawks, even fiscal years and ease pun- security. candidacy. That caused a
Capitol Hill and off, who as it would take away the ishing spending caps by “It’s an actual bipartisan power vacuum that threw
angrily oppose spending the House into pande-
increases and compromis- monium for much of this
es with Democratic Presi- month, until GOP leaders
dent Barack Obama. prevailed upon a reluctant
They seethed but acknowl- Ryan, the party’s 2012 vice
edged they were power- presidential nominee, to
less to stop an agreement seek the speakership.
all but certain to pass with Despite conservative an-
votes from Democrats and ger over the budget deal,
a sizable number of Repub- hard-liners sounded reluc-
licans. Boehner brushed off tant to take their fury out
their complaints, declaring on Ryan, who claimed to
that he intended to make have no role in the agree-
good on his promise to ment and indeed criticized
leave a “clean barn” for how it came about.
his successor, Paul Ryan “I think this process stinks.
of Wisconsin, who is set to This is not the way to do the
get the GOP nomination people’s business,” Ryan
for speaker on Wednesday said. “Under new man-
and win election on the agement, we’re not going
House floor the day after to do the people’s busi-
that. ness this way.”q
