The inaugural party is now definitely over. President Obama and members of Congress are getting back to the business at hand today. The House will hold a vote on suspending the federal government’s debt limit until May 19, the latest part of the ongoing budget saga that has consumed Washington’s for much of the last two years. Late yesterday, Speaker John Boehner held his first news conference in a month, saying that republicans are bringing the bill to the floor as part of an effort to encourage the Senate to pass a budget. House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy summed up the GOP’s frustration at the news conference, saying “the last time they passed a budget the iPad hadn’t even been introduced.” Boehner also says the GOP intends to introduce a plan to “balance the budget over the next ten years.” That would be quite a feat considering since the budget Congressman Paul Ryan’s proposed last year didn’t balance until 2040. The White House says it will not oppose the three month bill, but added in a statement that it “introduces unnecessary complications, needlessly perpetuating uncertainty in the Nation’s fiscal system.” Meanwhile, a small group of House conservatives say they will go along with the House plan as long as the republican leadership moves forward to hold a vote on 2014 budget plan, with Rep. David Schweikert warning that “there will be hell to pay.” House republicans also hope that by passing a Senate budget resolution, democrats will be forced to vote for additional tax increases. We’ll preview today’s House vote and discuss the various debt ceiling strategies and battles that lie ahead when we see you at noon ET on msnbc.
PANEL
Karen Finney, Fmr. DNC Communications Director/msnbc Political Analyst (@finneyk)
Sam Stein, Political Editor and White House Correspondent, The Huffington Post/msnbc Contributor (@samsteinhp)
Maggie Haberman, Senior Political Reporter, Politico (@maggiepolitico)
Hugo Lindgren, Editor, The New York Times Magazine
GUESTS
PJ Crowley, Fmr. Assistant Secretary of State/Fmr. State Dept. Spokesman (@pjcrowley) [DC NC]
Robert Gifford