Just playing games so that the people continue to live in the illusion that there exist two different parties in America.
– Obama Privately Told The Banksters: We’re Not Defaulting
– GOP leader: ‘We’re very close’ to debt deal with Obama (USA Today):
President Obama and congressional Republicans are close to nailing down a debt ceiling deal just two days before a possible government default, negotiators said today.
White House adviser David Plouffe told NBC’s Meet The Press that “we don’t have deal,” but there has been progress and “today is a critical day.”
Over on CNN’s State of the Union, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, said “we’re very close” and “had a very good day yesterday.”
McConnell had announced Saturday he has been talking with Obama and Vice President Joe Biden about ways to raise the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling that could pass a divided Congress.
– Late Attempt at Debt-Limit Deal to Avert Default (Fox News)
– White House, GOP discuss potential debt limit pact (AP)
– Deal Framework Is Said Reached on Raising U.S. Debt Ceiling (San Francisco Chronicle)
– US House rejects Harry Reid debt ceiling plan (Xinhua):
BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhuanet) — The US House of Representatives has voted to reject the debt ceiling plan put forward by Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid. This adds fresh uncertainty to the debt talks gridlock.
The House voted down the measure to lift the debt limit by 2.4 trillion dollars and cut spending by 2.2 trillion dollars over a decade.
In a similar move, 43 Republican Senators said they opposed the Reid debt ceiling plan, saying it failed to alter the spending trajectory that is putting the US economy and national security at risk.
The federal government’s borrowing limit, currently at 14.29 trillion dollars, was reached on May 16. The Treasury Department says the nation will begin to default on its debts unless the Congress agrees to lift the limit by August the second.