House Republicans are discussing the prospect of a short-term extension in the nation's debt limit to avoid fault and give negotiations between lawmakers and the White House more time to succeed.
Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, the House Budget Committee chairman and erstwhile GOP vice presidential candidate, told reporters at House Republicans' retreat that members were "discussing the virtue of a short term debt limit extension."
Ryan elaborated that the idea would be to raise the nation’s borrowing authority for a few months and tie the matter into discussions with the White House and Senate on the other fiscal issues facing the country, such as the automatic spending cuts associated with the sequester and how to fund the government in the next fiscal year.
The comment is a significant development because it suggests there is movement in the House GOP Conference to avoid the debt limit when it's scheduled to hit in February, and instead shift the political battle in their favor by transforming the debate into a fight over shutting down the government or offsetting $110 billion dollars in cuts to defense and domestic programs.
When asked by NBC News whether he believed the House GOP Conference was unified enough to not have a repeat of the fiscal cliff fiasco, when many Republican lawmakers were reluctant to support plans by the GOP leadership, Ryan said, “We want people to have clear view of what's coming so there are no surprises, that means setting expectations accordingly so we can move forward in a unified basis.”
Ryan spent the morning with House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., briefing members about the upcoming “triple threat” of fiscal issues to be played out in Washington over the late winter and spring. GOP aides tell NBC News the talks are part of an effort by the Republican leadership to gauge the mood of the conference as well as map out the best possible path for the party in the next few months, so far they consider the response from members to be "positive."
The retreat is the House GOP’s annual occasion for members to talk to leadership, relax with their spouses and kids and also learn from communication professionals about to contour their message to fit the electorate. In light of the drubbing the GOP received amongst women and minorities in the 2012 election, the retreat will feature a seminar titled: “Coalitions-Discussion on Successful Communication with Minorities and Women.”


All these comments. Truth, the Republicans are failing again, kick the can down the road for more time to make a simple decision. Let the country fail, do not approve any more loans, use what we have and live in our means. This mean cancellation of wasted departments and expenses now in effect. Know fact the cpountry will not default. All BS again. Republican are loosers and afraid to do the job. Give uo on them. Boehner a big looser.
Having a debt limit is nonsense. Congress alone decides how much money the government will spend, and Congress alone decides how much revenue will be raised through taxes. The difference must be borrowed.
There are three ways to reduce debt: 1) cut spending, 2) increase taxes, or 3) some combination of the two. Since 40 cents of every Federal dollar spent are borrowed, the deficit cannot be eliminated through spending cuts alone.
Every spending program has its constituency--those for Social Security, Medicare and Defense (which collectively account for 80 percent of Federal spending) are mostly Republican voters. No wonder Republicans in Congress want to cut spending, but they refuse to specify which programs to cut. They just know they're against raising taxes to pay for the programs that benefit their constituents. So they demand that the President and Democrats propose programs to be cut, so that the blame for any possible cuts may be shifted to them.
ROY WILSON HAS THE FACTS RIGHT and I believe as americans this is all you need to know on what kind of a job this so called leader is doing. SORRY! that is to complicated for you on the left but facts are facts. I would tell you to get over it already but you and all of us are in the sinking ship together. GOODLUCK!
The mindless freaks on the right have been vigorously investing in failure for the last 4 years...
The rest of us, will eventually leave you behind,.. where you belong...
Extinction is your final destination...
And more proof that the GOP is committing "Suicide by Stupidity"
Maybe the pukebags are starting to realize their do nothing BS is just driving more and more voters over to the lib side. But no matter what, I think the GOP will take a very good beat down in 2014, unless they can change their views on women, God, and minority people. And that means changing their platform, kick the tea bagging scum to the side, and then convince people they mean what they say.
And selling that new concept is going to be a hard job.
Both sides will eventually bend to the will of the other, in the end. Dog and pony show to appear hard on liberals/conservatives.
I'd just like to change that to: Democrats/Republicans.
Liberal and Conservatives, bend VERY little.
Mull away, T/GOP, mull away. Mull your way right out of your cushy seats in DC. Buh bye.....
It looks like Mr. Ryan would like his constituents to think that he has any choice in the matter at all, hence he's going to "mull it over." LOL
... and hide in his coffin to avoid sunlight!
Al Qaeda polls better than the GOP and is considered less of a threat to our security by most Americans.
Good point...
Al Qaeda doesn't have access to the deep pockets that fund teapublicans...
Wow, and all this time I thought you had to pay your bills. I'm going to write all my creditors and let them know that I would like to have my debt limit increased as I have no money to pay them.
I hate short term plans just to keep us guessing and procrastinating about another fiscal/debt crisis. Come on, make a decision now.
Ahhh Ryan.... so does this short term 'mulling over' come with your religious beliefs? your views on FORCING raped 23 year old and pregnant girls to give birth rights to raptists?
Ryan should resign immediately
Lyin Ryan at it again..lmao
This is about as ridiculous as the House banking scandal. All but two of them were democrats.
The House banking scandal broke in early 1992, when it was revealed that the United States House of Representatives allowed members to overdraw their House checking accounts without risk of being penalized by the House bank (actually a clearinghouse).
This is also sometimes known as Rubbergate (from the expressions "rubber check" (bounced check) and "Watergate)". The term is misleading because House checks did not bounce; they were honored because the House Bank provided overdraft protection to its account holders, the Office of the Sergeant at Arms covered the House Bank with no penalties.[1] It was also sometimes known as the "congressional check-kiting scandal".
These people are about as inept as they come. They have no clue about what to do except continue to screw the American Taxpayer. Like Pelosi advised they are not done raising your taxes.
The government doesn't need a special bill to pay bills for expenditures that were already approved. This entire "raising of the debt limit" thing is a farse!
I tell you what democrats. Head on down to Wal-mart and pass a $2.00 bad check and see what happens to you.
And you know who refused to pay that check? THE GOP!
Except NOW it was money congress ALREADY SPENT. Like saying they would be paying the military.
Hey, look who woke up. Hello sleepy head. So we should arrest every single one of them that authorized budget's with no money to pay for them. Sounds like a plan.
Another stupid Ryan idea as if his other idea's haven't already been dumb enough. You can not keep people, businesses and the stock market waiting in limbo for months while Republicans sit around and play cry baby over the debt ceiling. We have bills to pay. Why does this need to be discussed for weeks as to whether we will pay them or not? Idiots!
We don't know if the democrats plan is stupid yet as they have not come up with a plan except to screw the American Taxpayer for the last 4 years.
@Voodkokk
Got any extra koolaid or did you drink it all? We don't know if the pukebags plan is stupid, except we do know they BRAGGED about their budget, you know, the 7 page document that had ZERO, NADA, ZILCH $ amounts in it.
And then you low informed pukebag base can't understand why something like that wasn't voted on by the Senate? And then you blame the libs for your stupidity. Great deflection, but it's not working this time around. Keep trying, you might get something to stick on the wall.
Did your taxes go up and did your medical insurance go up? If not then would you be so kind as to enlighten us with who your carrier is so we can switch.
Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan and his cronies seem incapable of moderation. There ploy is not valid because the house has already authorized the President to pay our bill. Ryan and friends have agreed to have the President pay there bills now they refuse to do what they have agreed to. Plus they are willing to hi jack the whole worlds economies as a form of chicken. A very sad point of view.
Why is it so hard for obstructionist Harry Reid to just allow budget proposals to make it to the Senate floor for discussion? We wouldn't have this "crisis" if we had a budget.
@Mike, I am sure Senator Reid would allow a pukebag budget proposal to make it to the floor for discussion if it had any $ signs or amounts in it.
They bragged about their 7 page document of a budget that contained ZERO, NADA, ZILCH amount of money. Who in their right mind, besides the pukebags, would vote for garbage like that? If the pukebags would quit saying NO to everything, we wouldn't have this budget.
But spin it anyway you want, informed people remember the 7 pages of excretment that the pukebags were so proud of. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
SallieMae what are you talking about? What approved budget did the democrats forward to the El Presidente?
Not sure what you're talking about, SallyAnn...the House has passed and sent budgets to Reid, but Reid refuses to allow discussion on them...and he puts forth nothing else for discussion
Who can explain to me how Social Security which I've paid into for 45yrs and has just short of 3 trillion dollar's in reserves in it is an entitlement , saying it is makes it sound like a handout .
excellent question, a point that I have also been trying to make
They want the average American worker that can put in as much as 40 years at back breaking labor to work until they are 70, they have never lifted anything heavier than a pencil so they don't understand what working for a living does to a body. They want to up the age of SS and Medicare then bitch because younger people entering the workforce can't find jobs, duh it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand when you make people work longer in life they take the jobs others would like to have. They are the entitlement group, they get into politics and give themselves raises, they vote by way of who they owe for campaign money, they work only a few days a year if you count sitting in your office in Washington and doing nothing except blame the people who have paid their fair share in taxes for decades for the mess that the ones on capital hill have created. They blame the seniors for the deficit when it is they who voted with Bush to spend our billions on a war of lies, how about they put the money back they stole and this wouldn't be an issue. That money should be for what it was collected for year after year from my paycheck.
Today's GOP is very similar to the Notre Dame FB player that had an imaginary girlfriend.
Yep, kinda like that majik money tree the democrats are so proud of.
@Voodkokk, still drinking that kool-aid, aren't you? Didn't anyone tell you some libs used that kool-aid container to wee wee in? Better you than me, that's for sure.
Hey, you liked Bushes money tree when he borrowed money to fight two wars. And you were too chicken to enlist to help the real men and women in serving their country. You gotta be a card carrying member of the YELLOW ELEPHANTS.
I'll be your huckleberry...I was there serving my country in the wars that both Democrats and Republicans voted to engage in. What's your point?
I think a better analogy, Herron, would be your imaginary brain.
I hope no extension is granted our government needs to live within it's means.
So, you want to take a wrecking ball to the US Economy. How interesting!
debt limit has nothing to do with any new spending. Once you guys understand this, good stuff can happen
Herron, the Repukes are related to Al Qaeda
today's deficit spending was yesterday's debt limit...since Reid won't pass a budget, that's the only way we can control future spending
"as well as map out the best possible path for the party"
Here's a novel idea: how about mapping out what's the best path for the country?
Hey, this IS the GOP! Thy only care if you are rich and can give them bribe money! The NRA for example!
The last sentence was really funny, just who is going to help them understand how to communicate with the minorities and women? All the rich white old men in their organization? Can't wait to see what they learned in the next 4 years. Most people with common sense know how to treat people that are different themselves but not the repubs they need to be taught how.
I think they mean a XXX video of a white woman with a black man, where they can debate if it was a "legitimate rape"
The truth be known there are far too many women and minorities who have inferior thinking skills and cannot think beyond the next thought on their minds. Basically the minorities are voting for whoever will give them a handout or amnesty. The woman are all scared they will have their abortion rights taken away. The Democrats were successful in duping these two groups. If the Republicans are to gain there support they will also have to lie to them as the Democrats have and promise them some trinkets of some sort. Stupidity is bliss.
@Larry. 1st outright lie that you low informed stupid pukebags spouted. The women aren't scared about any of their rights being taken away, we just aren't voting for your stupid politicians. Neither is the minorities, and neither are the Independents.
The pukebags tried to dupe the minorities and women, not the Dems. Perry and Santorum are pukebags, not D's. And they were the one declaring war on women.
Nice try slick, but your lies have caught up with you. You can't even try deflection, you just outright LIED. Typical pukebag trick. Keep chugging that urine laced kool-aid.
Larry has admitted that the Republicans have nothing to offer women or minorities. The only thing they can do is lie to them. They are pretty good at that, they just might succeed.
Paul Ryan and all the other congressmen should take a pay and benefits cuts if they are serious about reducing the deficit.
That would be the right place to start, they need to lead by example, it is way too easy cutting medicare or social security benefits for everybody else if they don't start cutting their own.
The could cut military spending by 50% and still spend more than the next 5 counties combined!
Since when has this dumbing down gop'er ryan provided anyone with specifics and/or a clear vision....This dude is an idgit!!!!
The only "New World Order" will be when the Green Party in the US has more members than the GOP, after the GOP self destructs this year!"