There have been a series of meetings today to discuss the situation on the shutdown and debt limit. Some headlines from this afternoon, if you’re just catching up:
Reuters reports Senators close in on deal as threat of default nears:
The plan under discussion would raise the $16.7 trillion debt ceiling by enough to cover the nation’s borrowing needs at least through mid-February 2014, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.It also would fund government operations through the middle of January, keeping in place the across-the-board “sequester” spending cuts that took effect in March. It would also set up a new round of budget talks that would try to strike a bargain by year’s end.Any deal would also have to win approval in the House of Representatives, where conservative Republicans have insisted that any continued government funding must include measures to undercut President Barack Obama’s signature health law – a nonstarter for Democrats.The deal would not resolve the disagreements over long-term spending and health care that led to the crisis in the first place. It would amount to a clear retreat for Republicans who have sought to tie any continued funding and borrowing authority to measures that would undercut Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
Earlier this afternoon, Obama postponed a meeting with congressional leaders, “to allow leaders in the Senate time to continue making important progress towards a solution that raises the debt limit and reopens the government.” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) also cited progress after meeting with a bipartisan group of senators. (I suppose that depends upon how one defines “progress.”)
This is all very fluid, so who knows what will change in the next few hours.
Senate Republicans had planned to meet tonight, but that has since been moved to tomorrow morning.
Apparently, this is also supposed to be news:
Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell don’t get along. That’s a major hurdle to a fiscal deal.
Although, CNN is a little bit more polite in its take:
For Senate leaders, bitter history morphs into working relationship on deal.
I suppose it’s wait and see on what House Republicans will say.
And then of course, there are the polls.
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