THE DAILY WHIP: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2016

H.Res. 611 – Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 2017 – Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act (Rep. McMorris Rodgers – Energy and Commerce) (One hour of debate). The Rules Committee has recommended a structured Rule that provides for one hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.  The Rule allows for 3 amendments, debatable for 10 minutes equally divided between the offeror and an opponent.  The Rule allows one motion to recommit, with or without instructions, and waives all points of order against the legislation.

The Rules Committee also rejected a motion by Ms. Slaughter of New York to consider H.R. 2017 under an open Rule.  Members are urged to VOTE NO.

H.R. 3442– Debt Management and Fiscal Responsibility Act (Rep. Marchant – Ways and Means) (One hour of debate).  This bill would place new requirements on the Administration in order for the United States to pay its obligations on time by raising the debt ceiling.  Specifically, it would require the Secretary of the Treasury to produce a report within twenty-one days of when the Secretary projects the federal government will reach the debt limit, and to appear before both the Ways and Means and Finance Committees to deliver it.

In addition to the report’s required contents summarizing the composition and drivers of the debt, this bill would require the President to issue a plan for reducing it.  Yet it requires no similar proposals from Congress, and ignores that the President already must submit a complete budget proposal to Congress containing plans to reduce the deficit and debt as part of the regular budget process, after which Administration officials typically appear before Congressional panels to discuss the President’s Budget and plans for reducing the debt.

Ironically, in the same week they are bringing H.R. 3442 to the House Floor, the House Republican Majority ended more than forty years of precedent by cynically refusing to invite Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan to present the President’s Budget to the House and Senate Budget Committees.

This shows clearly that House Republicans aren’t serious about the budget.  H.R. 3442, in addition to being duplicative of the normal budget process, is intended to politicize the paying of the nation’s obligations through raising the debt limit when necessary.  The result will be further brinksmanship, threatening catastrophic consequences for the American economy.  Failure to raise the debt limit would not only cause the federal government to default on obligations already incurred, including veterans and Social Security payments, but could cause another potentially damaging downgrade of the U.S. credit rating and compromise confidence in America’s economy throughout the world.  House Republicans have also ignored requests from Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee to include among its requirements a description of consequences of such a default.

H.R. 3442 is not a real attempt to deal with the debt in a responsible way.  It is clearly an attempt to create unnecessary and potentially dangerous new requirements on the Administration in an attempt to politicize the process of raising the debt limit. 

In the Statement of Administration Policy, the President's senior advisors stated that they would recommend he veto this bill.  Members are urged to VOTE NO.

The Rule makes in order 8 amendments, debatable for 10 minutes, equally divided between the offeror and an opponent.  The amendments are:

Grijalva/Pocan Amendment #1. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury’s report to include historical levels of federal revenue, including corporate and individual federal income taxes as a percent of gross domestic product.
Huelskamp Amendment. Places additional requirements on the Secretary of the Treasury to produce details on the use of “extraordinary measures” to prevent default and the projected date on which they will be exhausted and the government will default on its obligations.
Newhouse/Byrne/Stivers Amendment. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury’s report to include whether the President recommends that Congress adopt a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.
Kelly (IL) Amendment. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury’s report to include an economic forecast of the negative consequences of failing to raise the debt limit, including costs associated with public health and safety.
Duffy/Hensarling/McClintock/Messer Amendment. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury’s report to acknowledge whether the Administration agrees that, in the event the debt limit is reached, it can “prioritize” debt payments while defaulting on Social Security benefits, veterans benefits, and other obligations of the federal government.
Messer Amendment. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury’s report to include a description of extraordinary measures intended to be used, how long they will last, and their administrative cost.
Grijalva/Pocan Amendment #7. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury’s report to include distributional projections of earnings of individuals, as well as projections of consumer spending on gross domestic product.
Takano Amendment. Requires the report to include the impact the threat of default would have on the economy, including, but not limited to, the impact on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), interest rates, employment, household wealth, and retirement assets.

Bill Text for H.R. 3442:
PDF Version

Background for H.R. 3442:
House Report (HTML Version)
House Report (PDF Version)

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK
The GOP Leadership has announced the following schedule for Friday, February 12: The House will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative business.  The House is expected to consider H.R. 2017 – Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act (Rep. McMorris Rodgers – Energy and Commerce).