The GOP’s “Cut, Cap, and Balance” measure was considered dead on arrival in the U.S. Senate, and the predictions of political experts came to fruition Friday when Democrats blocked the Republican-backed bill in a procedural vote.
“It’s interfering with negotiations and [the bill] is without merit,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said. “This is one of the worst pieces of legislation ever on the floor of the Senate... and we as the Senate refuse to waste even one more day on this.”
Reid added that plans to keep senators in session this weekend have been scrapped, despite the fact that he criticized House leaders earlier this week for planning to reconvene Monday with the threat of a possible debt default looming.
While the outcome of Friday’s vote was considered a foregone conclusion, House Speaker John Boehner slammed Democratic senators for rejecting the “Cut, Cap, and Balance” bill.
“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,” he said.
President Obama has asked lawmakers to take a balanced approach toward the deficit-reduction impasse that includes shared sacrifices.