There's more grownups in the Senate than I thought
Senate Republicans Reject House Debt Limit Plan
Thu Jun 24, 2004 01:47 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Under Democratic pressure, Senate Republicans on Thursday rejected a plan pushed by their counterparts in the House of Representatives designed to avoid an embarrassing election-year vote on the nation's rising debt.
The Senate decision is a blow to House Republicans, who rammed through the measure on Tuesday. It would have allowed for an increase in the $7.384 trillion debt ceiling without a separate vote on the House floor.
The House had tacked the plan on to the must-pass defense spending bill which provides support for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Senate Republicans need the cooperation of Democrats to move that bill along.
"I can commit ... that we will not bring back a bill that contains provisions that were in the House-passed bill pertaining to the debt ceiling issues that we must face sometime in the year," said Ted Stevens of Alaska, Senate Appropriations Committee chairman.
Democrats want a separate debate and vote on the debt limit. They were so angry at the House move that they had threatened to hold up discussions on the defense spending bill.
Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd, of West Virginia, said his "blood boiled" when he heard of the plan.
"I'm saying these things so that Republican leadership in the House in particular understands that sneaking the debt limit in an appropriations bill is not going to get by," Byrd added.
