Initially, it appeared Boehner was approaching the debt limit differently — tapping Cantor to lead the House Republican negotiating team. However, most lawmakers said the bipartisan group is more for show and that real negotiating will be done elsewhere, with Boehner plugged in directly.
Not everyone thinks that’s a bad idea. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said negotiating deals is the Speaker’s job.
“You have 435 egos here; we’d all like to be in the room,” the second-term lawmaker said. “The reality is we elected leadership to do that, and I think they’ve been very responsive in allowing us to express our opinions.”
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