While President Barack Obama held court with the press on the budget impasse, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) ordered his colleagues to the Senate floor where he made a dramatic plea for ending the government shutdown.
The unusual maneuver – Mr. Reid, in a sort of attendance check, instructed the Sergeant at Arms to require senators come to the Senate chamber – caused his colleagues to miss out on part of Mr. Obama’s hour-long press conference but gave the Senate Democratic leader a captive audience.
“This government shutdown is an embarrassment to our nation,” Mr. Reid told about more than 80 senators gathered at their chamber desks in a rare moment where the Senate is full for a speech. A few of the senators left the chamber after casting a vote on Mr. Reid’s attendance request, which passed 84-14.
Mixing frustration and anger, Mr. Reid appealed to his colleagues’ stature as U.S. senators, saying that “it’s time for us, members of this august body, to stand before the American people and publicly discuss the path forward.” It was a theatrical gesture designed to match the moment: a crisis in governance that some lawmakers fear could turn into a crisis in the economy.
A partial U.S. government shutdown entered a second week Tuesday and about 450,000 federal workers are furloughed. The nation is also hovering near the limit of its $16.7 trillion borrowing capacity – a subject that has divided Congress and splintered Republicans, some who think the country should slash services instead of borrowing more.
Mr. Reid said that Democrats had already negotiated with Republicans over spending levels and said Congress is obligated to raise the borrowing limit. He offered again, as he has for days, to negotiate with Republicans in wide-ranging talks once the government is reopened and the debt ceiling is raised.
On the debt ceiling, Mr. Reid talked about Democratic legislation to raise the borrowing limit for a year. He warned that without Republican cooperation, “the process will take us right up to the debt limit – one day before.” Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew has said that by about Oct. 17, the country will have only $30 billion on hand, not enough to pay all the bills about to come due.
“Great nations have to meet expectations,” Mr. Reid said.
“I am optimistic – even though that’s against my nature — that Republicans are not going to hold the full faith and credit of the United States hostage,” Mr. Reid said. “I hope I’m right.”
Mr. Reid went off script only once, to address reports that the families of dead U.S. soldiers had been denied airfare to come meet the bodies because of the government shutdown.
Mr. Reid said that was “shameful and embarrassing.”
The unusual maneuver – Mr. Reid, in a sort of attendance check, instructed the Sergeant at Arms to require senators come to the Senate chamber – caused his colleagues to miss out on part of Mr. Obama’s hour-long press conference but gave the Senate Democratic leader a captive audience.
“This government shutdown is an embarrassment to our nation,” Mr. Reid told about more than 80 senators gathered at their chamber desks in a rare moment where the Senate is full for a speech. A few of the senators left the chamber after casting a vote on Mr. Reid’s attendance request, which passed 84-14.
Mixing frustration and anger, Mr. Reid appealed to his colleagues’ stature as U.S. senators, saying that “it’s time for us, members of this august body, to stand before the American people and publicly discuss the path forward.” It was a theatrical gesture designed to match the moment: a crisis in governance that some lawmakers fear could turn into a crisis in the economy.
A partial U.S. government shutdown entered a second week Tuesday and about 450,000 federal workers are furloughed. The nation is also hovering near the limit of its $16.7 trillion borrowing capacity – a subject that has divided Congress and splintered Republicans, some who think the country should slash services instead of borrowing more.
Mr. Reid said that Democrats had already negotiated with Republicans over spending levels and said Congress is obligated to raise the borrowing limit. He offered again, as he has for days, to negotiate with Republicans in wide-ranging talks once the government is reopened and the debt ceiling is raised.
On the debt ceiling, Mr. Reid talked about Democratic legislation to raise the borrowing limit for a year. He warned that without Republican cooperation, “the process will take us right up to the debt limit – one day before.” Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew has said that by about Oct. 17, the country will have only $30 billion on hand, not enough to pay all the bills about to come due.
“Great nations have to meet expectations,” Mr. Reid said.
“I am optimistic – even though that’s against my nature — that Republicans are not going to hold the full faith and credit of the United States hostage,” Mr. Reid said. “I hope I’m right.”
Mr. Reid went off script only once, to address reports that the families of dead U.S. soldiers had been denied airfare to come meet the bodies because of the government shutdown.
Mr. Reid said that was “shameful and embarrassing.”
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