Demos, GOP bicker over debt ceiling resolution

Washington – Debate opened in the House of Representatives at 3 p.m. on Monday, August 1, with the two most senior members of the Rules Committee in acrimonious contention over the debt ceiling deal.

Chairman David Dreier, R-CA, noted that of the 76 times since 1962 that the House has voted to raise the debt limit, this is the only time a cut in spending has been attached to the measure.

Ranking member Louise Slaghter, D-NY, said that some members “on the other side” see paying the nation's bills as optional. She decried the spectacle of the world seeing that the U.S. “can barely keep the lights on.”

The measure is expected to pass and be sent to the Senate for a vote later tonight where some 30 Republicans have committed to its passage.