E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSA day after the President chided Congress for not stepping up its working pace to hammer out a deficit deal, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced on the Senate floor that the Fourth of July recess would be cancelled.
The Senate will come into session the afternoon of July 5 and all day Wednesday July 6.
The rest of the week is still to be determined, Democratic aides said.
Items that could be on the agenda starting Tuesday: the McCain-Kerry Libya resolution authorizing a limited one-year mission for U.S. forces, plus some jobs packages. Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad is also ready to unveil a long-awaited Democratic budget plan.
At a caucus meeting Wednesday night, Democrats discussed the possibility of cancelling recess. Several senators left the meeting visibly grumbling at the prospect of coming back to work to make what is largely a political statement. A group of mostly freshman Republican senators also held a press conference Wednesday to make clear they are jumping at the chance to cancel recess to get to work.
"It is really important that we do this," Reid said on the floor Thursday morning. "That moment is too important, the obstacle is too steep and the time too short to waste even a moment. I hope my Republican colleagues will put politics aside and help Democrats fulfill Congress's responsibility to the American people."
The battle over the deficit has now spilled out in a big way on Capitol Hill after several weeks of relatively quiet bipartisan negotiations led by Vice President Joe Biden. Now both sides are digging in on their respective positions. Democrats are hammering the message that Republicans would rather protect the wealthy from more taxes while Republicans say Democrats are trying to hike takes and spend more.
In the latest round of maneuvering, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the Senate floor to invite President Obama to Capitol Hill today to meet with Senate Republicans.
"That way he can hear directly from Republicans why what he's proposing won't pass," McConnell said. "And we can start talking about what's actually possible. The President says he wants us to get working. I can't think of a better way than to have him come over and hear directly from our conference about the legislative realities in the Congress right now."
The President is expected to leave for Philadelphia later this afternoon.
Leave a Comment:
I've been every where man. Breath the Mountain air man. I've been every where man. I've been to Yellow stone, Pebble Beach, NY city, Grand Canyon. Bet Awards, Oscars an Grammies, Oprah, The View, Hard ball With Chris Mathews. Berkeley, Vegas, Apolacha, Daytona. Dallas memphis San Antnio, Salt Lake City. Just left Puerto Rico after Reno. I've been every where.
Brazil, Chile, china, Egypt, El Salvatore, Ghana, India, Ireland, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Turkey, Vatican City, Afghanistan, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany Japan, Mexico, South Korea, United Kingdom, France, Trinidad and Tobago. Many of thee twice. Some 3 times. The First Lady has her own list. And 8 days at Martha's vineyard. Plus 10 days in Hawaii. and about 200 American cities. And he has the nerve to say I've been here . Where has Congress been? I must have skipped over Israel. Surely he has been there.
Yep,
When in doubt, take another exotic vacation and lap up some more Guiness.
As for all those pesky "bumps in the road".....let them eat cake.
3 years of doing nothing in Congress and the Republicans get a pass??? Republicans... slave masters... one in the same. They need to stay and do some work for a change. As long as the Rethuglicans can keep hardworking, middle class Americans (who they really don't represent) divided, they can continue to rob Americas coffers and funnel the money to the ones they really represent... the rich. All they have to do is stir the emotions of the uninformed, scared and frustrated using race, class and social differences as the cover. Americans spend so much time distracted by differences, that we don't pay attention to them going out the back door with our tax dollars as they point fingers at the next guy. Example: Start a war based on lies, lie about the cost, lie about our allies, ignore the fact that there is no exit strategy, use tax dollars to pay for it, make sure you and your cronies who profit from war collect the windfall, extend the war to get more money, and leave it for the next guy to clean it up. Classic Rethuglican tactics... wake up people!
damon, You just described the Obama administration to a tee.
not quite...
Republicans are destroying the economy and America on purpose so they can take down Obama.
It could not be more obvious.
WTG Harry,,,keep them there. Boehner will squeeze a tear for them I'm sure !
You know the REAL problem here??
WE, the American taxpayer never get to see a DETAILED list of just where our hard-earned tax dollars are being spent. I think we would be appalled........ Maybe even disgusted.
Increasing taxes would be O.K. if : 1.) Everyone had to pay some taxes.....everyone.
2.) If we had an iron-clad assurance that each new dollar raised from increased taxes went directly to pay down our National debt.
Neither of these proposals are ever going to happen.....ever.
Seems the smoke and mirrors gang wants to "offset" any spending cuts with more tax revenue so they can replace the spending cuts with additional spending. In other words, Just go around in the same old, same old, silly circle that really accomplishes nothing.