Capitol View: July 31, 2011 Archive

Minnesotans quiet on debt ceiling Sunday

Posted at 8:45 PM on July 31, 2011 by Brett Neely

WASHINGTON - After lots of fiery speeches Friday and Saturday, Capitol Hill turned eerily quiet on Sunday, just two days before the government's borrowing authority expires. As it turns out, that quiet was the sound of a deal being cut.

House and Senate leadership met behind closed doors to discuss the outlines of a plan to raise that authority while making long-term spending cuts. Talks centered on possible "triggers" to enforce a pact between Republicans and Democrats.

Minnesota's congressional delegation was mum all day long and most House offices appeared shuttered. A few staffers responded to emails, but none of the members were willing to speak with reporters.

DFL Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar showed up for a vote early Sunday afternoon on Majority Leader Harry Reid's plan to raise the debt ceiling. Both Franken and Klobuchar voted to break a Republican filibuster of the bill, but their efforts fell short and the bill failed to cross the 60 vote threshold it needed.

On Sunday evening, Reid and his Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell, took to the Senate floor to announce a deal. The details will take a few hours to be parsed but expect votes in the Senate early Monday afternoon. The House hasn't announced when it plans to vote on the deal.