Senate Democrats rejected the Cut, Cap and Balance plan proposed by the US House by a straight party line vote, 51-46.
Harry Reid called the GOP plan to balance the US budget – “Weak and Senseless”
Democrats still have not offered a plan.
FOX News reported:
The Senate on Friday voted to “table,” or kill, a House Republican proposal to “cut, cap and balance” the budget that Majority Leader Harry Reid called the single worst piece of legislation ever to hit the Senate floor.
The House Republican “Cut, Cap and Balance” (measure) is now over. It’s done, dead,” Reid said after the 51-46 vote.
With its defeat, lawmakers are still looking for a deal to cut federal spending while raising the nation’s $14.3 trillion debt ceiling. The Obama administration says the limit must be increased by Aug. 2 or the country could default on its loans or otherwise be forced to shut down services.
The Democratic criticism of the plan, which would require a Balanced Budget Amendment to be voted on after cutting federal spending and capping the amount Congress could increase future expenses without corresponding cuts, infuriated GOP members who say it is exactly what President Obama asked for in a debt deal.
“The Democrat-led Senate’s failure to both produce a budget and pass the Cut, Cap, and Balance Act of 2011 underscores the Democrats’ irresponsible commitment to the status quo,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said in a statement after voting for the bill. “While the president and Senator Reid refuse to produce a plan to deal with our debt crisis, Republicans will keep working to meet the nation’s fiscal challenges.”
“Senate Democrats have defied the will of the American people who overwhelmingly support real spending cuts, caps on future spending, and a balanced budget to create a better environment for private-sector job growth,” House Speaker John Boehner said.
