Republican Chuck Grassley was one of 18 senators to vote against the deal that ended the government shutdown and extended the government’s borrowing authority. Grassley said the deal didn’t resolve the nation’s debt problem and it doesn’t provide a long-term budget plan for the government.
“On January the 15th, it’s possible because the cans been kicked down the road you could have a closing of the government again under certain circumstances,” Grassley said today.
President Obama has been given direct authority to act himself to raise the debt limit in the future, a provision Grassley touted.
“The provision in the bill allows the president on February the 7th, if the debt limit needs to be increased, that he has the authority under this law to increase it, subject to a veto by congress and I doubt if congress would ever get a two-thirds vote to override a veto if the president thinks the debt limit ought to be increased so you don’t have a default,” Grassley said. “That’s about the only sure thing to come out of it, probably to avoid another possibility of default.”
Grassley made his comments today during a telephone conference call with Iowa reporters. Grassley was asked if congress can come up with a compromise spending plan before the next deadline.
“All I can say is that under any circumstances legislative bodies — not just the congress, but look at the Iowa legislature or any other legislative body — they tend to do things at the crisis hour or at the last hour of decision-making,” Grassley replied.
Grassley said there was “too little focus” in last night’s deal on the nation’s $17 trillion debt.
(Reporting by Dennis Morrice KLEM Le Mars)
(2 cuts, Dennis Morrice, KLEM, Le Mars)