This morning, Dan Calabrese outlined the soon to be finalized Senate "compromise" that would end the shutdown and raise the debt limit. Not to be out-surrendered, this morning at the House Republican conference John Boehner unveiled a similar plan. The speaker's white flag looks an awful lot like the one emerging in the Senate, with a couple key differences.
Like the Senate deal, Boehner's plan would re-open the government upon passage. It would be funded at sequestration levels until January 15th and extend the debt limit until February 7th.
On top of that, Boehner's plan targets the medical device tax (which even most Dems think should be eliminated) by delaying it for two years. In addition, it would add stricter income verification procedures to determine Obamacare subsidy eligibility, and would force all members of the President's cabinet and Congress to use Obamacare - without the exemption that allows the federal government to pay for it regardless of their income - just as the rest of us have to.
According to various reports, the bill will be moving through the House rules committee today and will be voted on tonight. Word is that Boehner will take this vote without a whip check, so no one has any idea if it will pass.
Should be an interesting afternoon....
UPDATE: while we were putting this up this, Jake Tapper tweeted that the Obama administration has just said "no deal."
WH calls House GOP latest a "partisan attempt to appease a small group of Tea Party R's who forced the govt shutdown in the 1st place"
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 15, 2013
