Below are notes from FNC’s Chad Pergram:
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Urgent: Reid when asked if he will accept the House GOP debt limit bill as is: “Yes.”
Per Pergram-Capitol Hill
Extraordinary press conference by Senate Democratic leaders as they essentially call the bluff of House GOPers and agree to take the pending House Republican-crafted plan to suspend the debt limit and agree to no budget/no pay.
Fed back live.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) when asked if he will accept the House GOP debt limit bill “as is”:
Yes
Reid:
I’m pleased Speaker Bohener changed course and will allow a vote today.
Reid:
In substance, this is a clearn debt limit increase.
Reid on GOP saying the Senate hasn’t approved a budget:
Understand that is not true. Republicans voted on the Budget Control Act (the measure to increase the debt limit in August, 2011 which created the supercommittee and the sequester).
Reid:
The Senate will return to the regular order (of passing budgets).
Reid:
I thank Speaker Boehner for his leadership in defusing the debt ceiling fights. See, not everything here has to be a big fight.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on the GOP retreat in Williamsburg, VA last week where the debt limit plan was hatched:
The retreat had a mellowing effect on their memebrs. Deep breathing exercises. Perhaps smooth jazz Muzak.
Schumer:
Republicans are in full-on retreat.
Schumer:
The president stared the Republcians down and they blinked.
Schumer:
This gives us something we can work with in the Senate.
Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) on the no pay provision:
They may have needed to throw some red meat to their tea party to move the bill through the House. Whatever.
· I assk Reid by th good cop, bad cop. House Democrats excoriated the Republicans earlier for this approach:
Reid:
We believe this is a way forward….that’s why I sent bouquets in my remarks to the Speaker.
Reid:
Anything we do will be based on a budget.
Reid on reporters asking about the Senate not passing a budget:
Stop taking that bait.
· At the end, a reporter asks Reid if they will still go through the “vote-a-rama,” a tradition when tackling the budget resolution…which usually requires an entire day, consumed by nothing but around-the-clock votes.
Reid:
Unless you can find a way out of it…
The Senate
Chad Pergram
Senior Producer for Capitol Hill
