The arcana of these parliamentary rules:
The House Rules Committee earlier cleared the way for the bipartisan deal to come before the full chamber by one vote, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a libertarian-minded conservative who sometimes sides with the Freedom Caucus, voted to move the measure out of committee.
A 241-187 House floor vote to approve a rule for floor debate, clearing the way for a vote on final passage Wednesday evening, almost didn't pass .
When Rep. Mike D. Rogers (R-Ala.), presiding over the vote, asked whether all lawmakers had voted, Republicans were short of 218 votes needed to approve the rule.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) then flashed a green card to dozens of Democrats waiting in the well who then provided 52 additional votes to the 190 Republican votes to pass the procedural hurdle. The minority party does not normally vote on procedural measures.
Democratic support for the initial parliamentary vote came with a price. Discussed during the day via texts, the Democratic leader won a private pledge for concessions from McCarthy on legislation considered this summer or fall.
House Freedom Caucus members voted against the rule on Wednesday and indicated they will also oppose final passage of the deal.
That position got a stern rebuke Wednesday from key GOP negotiators Graves and Rep. Patrick T. McHenry (N.C.), who said the Freedom Caucus members made a “tactical flaw” in shooting down the agreement before it even existed. “They were a group of people who started saying things that were absolutely inaccurate about this deal, started bad-mouthing it and defining it before it was done,” Graves said.
The centrist, bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus endorsed the measure Wednesday morning, which could deliver as many as 64 votes. “In divided government, you have to actually work together to find a solution that can make it across the finish line,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), a co-chair of the group, said in a statement.
GOP leadership aides say they believe the bill will receive the support of “a majority of the majority” in the final vote, satisfying an informal Republican guideline against passing legislation mostly on the strength of Democratic support.
"House Democrats are going to make sure the country doesn’t default. Period. Full stop,” Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters after a party caucus meeting.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), however, whined to reporters that she was worried about the automatic 1 percent cuts to the military budget that could kick in if Congress fails to pass individual spending bills by Sept. 30.
The deal will also pare back $20 billion of the $80 billion approved last year for an expansion of the IRS.
Kevin McCarthy told Fox News yesterday the compromise will greatly increase the labor participation rate among children.
"We might have a child that has no job, no dependents but sitting on the couch, we’re going to encourage that person to get a job and have to go to work, which gives them worth and value."
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We've run out of other people's Social Security taxes needed to subsidize our low income tax rates.
