House Won’t Vote On Fiscal Cliff Deal Tonight

[cal04]

A notice from the House Majority Whip's office indicates Republicans have no plans to hold a vote on any Senate-passed legislation to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff.

"There will be a Special GOP Conference Meeting at 5:00 p.m. in HC-5," according to the alert. "Immediately following Conference tonight, roughly 5:30-6:00 p.m. we will have our first and only vote series of the day on suspensions."

To translate, the House is only planning to vote on a handful of scheduled, non-controversial measures this evening. They plan to leave tonight whether or not the Senate passes a bill to avoid the expiration of the Bush tax cuts at midnight. That means that unless the GOP's plans change, then starting at midnight, the revenue baseline resets to a pre-Bush tax cut baseline, and any fiscal cliff legislation becomes a tax cut.

The consequences for the shape of any deal are potentially huge, but still unclear.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/breaking-house-wont-vote-on-fiscal-cliff-deal

House won't vote before midnight on 'cliff' deal
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/house-wont-vote-midnight-cliff-deal

(snip)
Congress could pass later legislation retroactively blocking the tax hikes and spending cuts.

[awake]

1. Does this mean that we will have to wait for the new congress to be sworn in before a vote?

[n2doc]

3. I think so. Some t-baggers are leaving and not coming back tonight.

I'm especially looking at you, Alan West!

[chillfactor]

7. it could still happen before this Congress adjourns, I believe, on Thursday

but at this point in time, we might as well go over the cliff....get some of the budget cuts into place and pull the rug out from under the GOTP

with the new Congress in place.....Obama and the Democrats have a might of a better hand... and some of the whack-a-doo extremists like West will be gone

[Lone_Star_Dem]

2. What's Boehner up to? Pushing it off until after the Speaker of the House is elected?

[awake]

4. What are the chances he is not reelected?

And who else would be the Speaker?

[NYC Liberal]

5. I wonder if they're batshit enough to put Ryan up...

[Lone_Star_Dem]

8. There's a scary idea.

It could happen. They've proven they're proud of their radicals.

[NYC Liberal]

9. On the one hand I'd love to see them go even further to the right

and screw themselves even more for coming elections.

On the other hand, people's lives are at stake and we need Congress to be able to actually function -- and I think that's more important right now.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

12. This congress could care less about helping the people.

I don't see enough change coming down the pike in the next congress to give us any hope that's not going to continue. I suppose it doesn't matter who they elect as speaker when all is said and done. The Teabaggers in congress are not willing to negotiate, they want everything to be their way or no way at all. In a nutshell, that's the state of the current GOP.

[NYC Liberal]

15. The Republicans are willing to hold the country hostage,

to let millions of people suffer, all to try to hurt Obama. Too bad for them their plan to make him a one-term president failed miserably. Now it seems they are going to double down even after getting their asses kicked. (Democrats even got more votes in House races but didn't pick up as many seats thanks to GOP gerrymandering)

[Lone_Star_Dem]

16. There's a lot of people out there this New Year's Eve scared for their future right now.

The people who rely on unemployment benefits and SNAP to get by, they're terrified what's going to happen to them now. Meanwhile the Congress is angry because the president called them ineffective. So, they went home.

This is what we're dealing with in this country. Pathetic, isn't it? Almost as pathetic as the people who elected these buffoons thinking they're good leaders.

I can't help thinking we're witnessing the "divided we fall" part of extreme partisan politics.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

6. Cantor?

I'm not sure who the Republican's would support, really.

[chillfactor]

10. I believe that has been Boehner's plan all along....

Boehner more interested in saving his own ass than doing anything that would benefit the American people

[Lone_Star_Dem]

13. Probably. I wouldn't be surprised, anyway.

I wonder how this is going to resonate with the voting masses?

[PennsylvaniaMatt]

11. One thing is for sure....

Wolf Blitzer is dramatizing this WAY more than it needs to be!

[Wellstone ruled]

14. Is this Payback to the Cantor for

the knife job he did on the Boner? Ouch!!!! This bunch doesn't give a ratsass about you and I,it's all about getting reelected in 2014.