“At the end of the day, the alternatives are pretty unpleasant,” Portman said.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), a member of the gang of six, said he floated the idea of using that group’s triggers to both Reid and McConnell over the weekend, but neither has supported it yet.
“It’s in their lap,” he said. “If you have a 6-6 deadlock in this select committee, where are we going? Right now, the plan is, is just do nothing. ... I don’t think that’s good. Something’s got to happen.”
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) also said the triggers for the joint committee are key.
“It comes down to the enforcement of it, and if you’re deadlocked, what kind of triggers do you use,” he said.
Reid, however, called the 10-Senator trigger “a little weak.”
Editor's Note:
This article updates the print version to include details on a voting delay for Speaker John Boehner’s deficit bill to allow for changes to the measure.
Rep. Bill Cassidy has his blood drawn by Alesha Barbour during a free hepatitis screening in the Rayburn House Office Building hosted by the Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus to recognize "National Viral Hepatitis Testing Day."
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