House GOP discussing short-term increase in debt ceiling

House Republican leaders are talking to rank and file GOP members about passing a short-term extension of the debt ceiling, perhaps just one that authorized the nation's borrowing authority for a couple of months.

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, told reporters it was one option in a morning discussion with all House Republicans about legislative strategy for the first few months of the new Congress.

"We're discussing the possible virtue of a short term debt limit extension so that we have a better chance of getting the Senate and the White House involved in discussions in March," Ryan said.

Republican Rep. John Fleming, R-Louisiana, said the idea came out of an ad hoc group led by Ryan, and House Speaker John Boehner signaled he supported the approach.

At one of the closed door sessions at a resort in Williamsburg, rank and file members viewed a slide show that highlighted how one of the last major deficit reduction packages -- known as Gramm-Rudman -- was preceded by a series of short term extensions in the debt ceiling.

Fleming said members will wait to see all the details, but said many conservatives backed it.

"I think we're all pretty much on board," Fleming said, and noted that impetus behind it was to keep the pressure on for reaching a broader deal to cut spending.

The strategy was a departure from recent discussions where Republicans pushed that any increase in the debt limit must include spending cuts that amounted to the same size of the increase. It's unclear what kind of spending cuts leaders might want to include.

Some conservatives are pressing GOP leaders to attach items to force the Democratic-led Senate to act. One option discussed was to require the Senate to pass a budget, another was to require that the Senate approve or simply vote on a Constitutional amendment to balance the budget.

Rep. Steve Scalise, who heads the group of fiscal conservatives in the House known as the Republican Study Committee, says he wants to include a condition to any increase in the nation's borrowing authority that the Senate pass a budget--something it hasn't done in four years. The Louisiana Republican said GOP members are suggesting the extension go through mid April.

Source: http://www.wcvb.com/news/politics/House-GOP-discussing-short-term-increase-in-debt-ceiling/-/9848766/18175998/-/c6jnhq/-/index.html?absolute=true

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