Hard times ahead.
Carl Jarvis
On 9/25/15, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The important fact, buried in this story is that the reconciliation bill
that will result in a few months, will defund Planned Parenthood and the
Affordable Care Act because it requires only a simple majority in the
Senate.
Miriam
PowerPost
House Speaker John Boehner to resign at end of October
By Mike DeBonis and Paul Kane September 25 at 11:04 AM
Boehner will step down next month. AFP PHOTO/BRENDAN SMIALOWSKIBRENDAN
SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
This story was originally published at 9:36 a.m.
House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), faced with a constant conservative
rebellion, told Republicans Friday morning that he will resign at the end
of
October, according to aides and lawmakers in a closed-door meeting.
The resignation will end a nearly five-year reign as speaker, allowing
House
Republicans to approve a short-term government funding bill that will avert
a shutdown of federal agencies. Boehner's hold on the speaker's gavel had
grown increasingly unsteady amid threats from more than 30 Republicans that
they would force a no-confidence vote in his speaker's position, which
would
have forced him to rely on Democratic votes in order to remain in charge.
Several GOP members told The Washington Post that Boehner would step down
from Congress Oct. 31.
The shocking move, first reported by The New York Times, means there's
unlikely to be a government shutdown next week. Following Boehner's
announcement, House Republicans said there was agreement to pass a clean
spending bill to avert a government shutdown. Several members of the
Freedom
Caucus, the conservative group which led the revolt against Boehner's
leadership, said they will now support the spending bill without demands to
defund Planned Parenthood attached to it.
"The commitment has been made that there will be no shutdown," said Rep.
John Fleming (R-La.).
The House intends to vote next week on a clean spending bill and then move
on to budget reconciliation - where, Republicans said, both repealing the
Affordable Care Act and stripping Planned Parenthood of funding will be
considered.
Reconciliation bills are considered under special rules that require only a
simple majority to pass and they cannot be filibustered in the Senate.
His likely successor is House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.),
the
No. 2 GOP leader who has been in office less than 10 years. McCarthy has
widespread support in the Republican Conference, but many believe he lacks
the political and tactical gravitas to be a force in the House. Rep. Paul
Ryan (R-Wis.) said Friday he didn't want the job.
"This was an act of pure selflessness. John's decades of service have
helped
move our country forward, and I deeply value his friendship," Ryan said in
a
statement. "We will miss John, and I am confident our conference will elect
leaders who are capable of meeting the challenges our nation faces."
At the meeting, Boehner's surprise announcement was met first with stunned
silence, several members said. His speech was described as a graceful,
thoughtful announcement that received three separate standing ovations.
"It was a very quiet reaction," said Rep. Reid Ribble (R-Wis.) "There were
people shedding tears in there, and there was clearly a lot of respect for
the speaker and the dignity in which he conducted his affairs."
Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said Boehner made his announcement by talking
about it as part of a "healing process," closing by praying the Prayer of
St. Francis, the papal namesake.
"His crowning accomplishment as speaker happened yesterday, and it was
obviously a reflective time," said Kramer, who called the announcement a
"kick in the stomach."
Other establishment and moderate Republicans sounded similar notes. "I
really don't like the circumstances," said Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.),
adding
that he doubted a new leader would be able to unite the party's factions.
Boehner, who capped his career with Thursday's address by Pope Francis, met
with a handful of the most conservative Republicans after the papal address
to lay out his plan to fund the government. But those rebels continued to
agitate and threaten to force a vote at sometime in the near future to
vacate his speakership.
A believer in the institution, Boehner decided to walk away on his own
terms
rather than relying on Democratic support or becoming the first speaker to
lose the gavel midterm.
Boehner's departure is rooted in deep conservative discontent with the way
he has handle his majority - in particular, what they have seen as an
unwillingness to stand up to President Obama.
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), who in July filed a motion to oust Boehner that
accelerated talk of his demise, said little as he left the meeting room
shortly after 10:30.
Boehner, he said, served with "class and humility."
About Obama, Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) complained: "He's run circles
around us since John Boehner was speaker of the House. I think it's a
victory for the American people."
Huelskamp said it was "clear that he did not have the votes to remain as
speaker unless Nancy Pelosi helped him out, which is obviously a very
vulnerable position."
"Obviously the pope had a big impact on him, said Rep. Richard Nugent
(R-Fla.) "That's about the most selfless act I've sever seen, willing to
step down to save this country and save this nation."
Nugent, who did not support Boehner in the January speaker election, said
the room was uniformly shocked - including McCarthy, who told the
conference
immediately afterward that he had only a moment's notice of Boehner's
decision.
The resignation sets up a bruising leadership race that will represent a
long-delayed open clash between conservative and establishment Republicans.
"We don't simply want to move the deck chairs around," said Fleming.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), who regularly allied with House conservatives to
force fights that stymied Boehner, learned of the news at the end of a
press
conference on religious liberty. After saying that leadership decisions
were
up to the party in the House, he launched into a criticism of Boehner's
tenure while never mentioning the retiring speaker's name.
"I have long called on Republican leadership to do something unusual, which
is lead," said Cruz. "Go actually stand up and honor the commitments that
we
made to the American people."
Asked if he felt that Mitch McConnell should also resign, he demurred, then
insisted he was trying to help them answer the concerns of actual voters.
"I
would love to sing their praises as leaders of the conservative movement."
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), also running for president, mentioned Boehner's
resignation at Friday's Values Voter Summit, to huge applause.
"Just a few minutes ago, Speaker Boehner announced that he will be
resigning," Rubio said as the room erupted in applause.
Rubio called on conservatives to "turn the page" and "allow a new
generation
of leadership in this country."
"And that extends to the White House and the presidency as well," he added.
"John Boehner dedicated his life to public service. Bringing the Holy
Father
to Congress was a fitting cap to a great career," Jeb Bush tweeted.
National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.)
said he was not at all aware of Boehner's plans and said it's time for the
party to rally around McCarthy. He said Boehner has given his all to the
party and had been a good leader.
"I don't know what he and the Pope talked about yesterday," Walden said.
"If
this was a message from God, I wish he'd send a different message"
Boehner, 65, was first elected to Congress to his southwest Ohio distinct
in
1990 and began a roller coaster ride that brought him into the leadership
fold early, only to be expelled in a rank-and-file rebellion, and then
begin
a long and steady rise back into leadership. That culminated with the
historic 63-seat gain that propelled Republicans into the majority and
handed Boehner the speaker's gavel.
Almost immediately several dozen new Republicans, claiming the tea party
mantle, began clashing with Boehner and opposing his moves. Deep into year
four of his tenure, Boehner privately decided to step down but his likely
successor - then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) - lost a
stunning
upset in his GOP primary, according to aides.
Without a senior Republican to take the gavel, Boehner stayed on in the
hopes of steadying the ship and possibly helping elect a Republican
president. That path became untenable this month as the conservative
rebels
plotted to force votes against Boehner, which would have meant that his
Republicans would have to keep taking votes putting them in a political
bind
with conservative voters back home.
Dave Weigel, Kelsey Snell and Jose DelReal and Ed O'Keefe contributed to
this report.
"" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"
style="border: 0px currentColor; vertical-align: bottom;"
PowerPost
Follow @powerpost Get The Daily 202 Newsletter
//www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/category/the-daily-202/
Headlines
House Speaker John Boehner to resign at end of October
By Mike DeBonis and Paul Kane September 25 at 11:04 AM
mailto:mike.debonis@xxxxxxxxxxxx;kanep@xxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=Reader feedback
for 'House Speaker John Boehner to resign at end of October'
Boehner will step down next month. AFP PHOTO/BRENDAN SMIALOWSKIBRENDAN
SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
This story was originally published at 9:36 a.m.
House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), faced with a constant conservative
rebellion, told Republicans Friday morning that he will resign at the end
of
October, according to aides and lawmakers in a closed-door meeting.
The resignation will end a nearly five-year reign as speaker, allowing
House
Republicans to approve a short-term government funding bill that will avert
a shutdown of federal agencies. Boehner's hold on the speaker's gavel had
grown increasingly unsteady amid threats from more than 30 Republicans that
they would force a no-confidence vote in his speaker's position, which
would
have forced him to rely on Democratic votes in order to remain in charge.
Several GOP members told The Washington Post that Boehner would step down
from Congress Oct. 31.
The shocking move, first reported by The New York Times, means there's
unlikely to be a government shutdown next week. Following Boehner's
announcement, House Republicans said there was agreement to pass a clean
spending bill to avert a government shutdown. Several members of the
Freedom
Caucus, the conservative group which led the revolt against Boehner's
leadership, said they will now support the spending bill without demands to
defund Planned Parenthood attached to it.
"The commitment has been made that there will be no shutdown," said Rep.
John Fleming (R-La.).
The House intends to vote next week on a clean spending bill and then move
on to budget reconciliation - where, Republicans said, both repealing the
Affordable Care Act and stripping Planned Parenthood of funding will be
considered.
Reconciliation bills are considered under special rules that require only a
simple majority to pass and they cannot be filibustered in the Senate.
His likely successor is House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.),
the
No. 2 GOP leader who has been in office less than 10 years. McCarthy has
widespread support in the Republican Conference, but many believe he lacks
the political and tactical gravitas to be a force in the House. Rep. Paul
Ryan (R-Wis.) said Friday he didn't want the job.
document.domain = "washingtonpost.com";var adContent =
window.parent["google-ad-content-m9g1q9101ur4"];window.parent["google-ad-con
tent-m9g1q9101ur4"] = null;document.write(adContent);document.close();'"
frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"
style="border: 0px currentColor; vertical-align: bottom; display:
none;"https://adclick.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=BEeF4YWMFVtq7H8aAMdy0ne
gLyrj39wcAAAAQASDy24UhOABY-uuvnMECYMmOr4vApNgPsgEWd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0Lm
NvbboBCWdmcF9pbWFnZcgBCdoBjgFodHRwOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9wYi9uZX
dzL3Bvd2VycG9zdC93cC8yMDE1LzA5LzI1L2JvZWhuZXItcmVzaWducy8_cmVzVHlwZT1hY2Nlc3
NpYmlsaXR5Jm5pZD1tZW51X25hdl9hY2Nlc3NpYmlsaXR5Zm9yc2NyZWVucmVhZGVywAIC4AIA6g
IiLzcwMS93cG5pLnBvd2VycG9zdC9ibG9nL3Bvd2VycG9zdPgChNIegAMBkAPgA5gD4AOoAwHgBA
GQBgGgBh_YBwA&num=0&cid=5GjmW-xpZ6yx7wzOv8LWl8I1&sig=AOD64_27x38
https://adclick.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=BEeF4YWMFVtq7H8aAMdy0negLyrj3
9wcAAAAQASDy24UhOABY-uuvnMECYMmOr4vApNgPsgEWd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbboB
CWdmcF9pbWFnZcgBCdoBjgFodHRwOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9wYi9uZXdzL3Bv
d2VycG9zdC93cC8yMDE1LzA5LzI1L2JvZWhuZXItcmVzaWducy8_cmVzVHlwZT1hY2Nlc3NpYmls
aXR5Jm5pZD1tZW51X25hdl9hY2Nlc3NpYmlsaXR5Zm9yc2NyZWVucmVhZGVywAIC4AIA6gIiLzcw
MS93cG5pLnBvd2VycG9zdC9ibG9nL3Bvd2VycG9zdPgChNIegAMBkAPgA5gD4AOoAwHgBAGQBgGg
Bh_YBwA&num=0&cid=5GjmW-xpZ6yx7wzOv8LWl8I1&sig=AOD64_27x38
"This was an act of pure selflessness. John's decades of service have
helped
move our country forward, and I deeply value his friendship," Ryan said in
a
statement. "We will miss John, and I am confident our conference will elect
leaders who are capable of meeting the challenges our nation faces."
At the meeting, Boehner's surprise announcement was met first with stunned
silence, several members said. His speech was described as a graceful,
thoughtful announcement that received three separate standing ovations.
"It was a very quiet reaction," said Rep. Reid Ribble (R-Wis.) "There were
people shedding tears in there, and there was clearly a lot of respect for
the speaker and the dignity in which he conducted his affairs."
Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said Boehner made his announcement by talking
about it as part of a "healing process," closing by praying the Prayer of
St. Francis, the papal namesake.
"His crowning accomplishment as speaker happened yesterday, and it was
obviously a reflective time," said Kramer, who called the announcement a
"kick in the stomach."
Other establishment and moderate Republicans sounded similar notes. "I
really don't like the circumstances," said Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.),
adding
that he doubted a new leader would be able to unite the party's factions.
Boehner, who capped his career with Thursday's address by Pope Francis, met
with a handful of the most conservative Republicans after the papal address
to lay out his plan to fund the government. But those rebels continued to
agitate and threaten to force a vote at sometime in the near future to
vacate his speakership.
A believer in the institution, Boehner decided to walk away on his own
terms
rather than relying on Democratic support or becoming the first speaker to
lose the gavel midterm.
Boehner's departure is rooted in deep conservative discontent with the way
he has handle his majority - in particular, what they have seen as an
unwillingness to stand up to President Obama.
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), who in July filed a motion to oust Boehner that
accelerated talk of his demise, said little as he left the meeting room
shortly after 10:30.
document.domain = "washingtonpost.com";var adContent =
window.parent["google-ad-content-9eedreevp4qo"];window.parent["google-ad-con
tent-9eedreevp4qo"] = null;document.write(adContent);document.close();'"
frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"
style="border: 0px currentColor; vertical-align: bottom; display:
none;"https://adclick.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=BCVUcYWMFVpO0KtSAMfqBjj
iqvPf3BwAAABABIPLbhSE4AFji9LKcwQJgyY6vi8Ck2A-yARZ3d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY2
9tugEJZ2ZwX2ltYWdlyAEJ2gGOAWh0dHA6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL3BiL25ld3
MvcG93ZXJwb3N0L3dwLzIwMTUvMDkvMjUvYm9laG5lci1yZXNpZ25zLz9yZXNUeXBlPWFjY2Vzc2
liaWxpdHkmbmlkPW1lbnVfbmF2X2FjY2Vzc2liaWxpdHlmb3JzY3JlZW5yZWFkZXLAAgLgAgDqAi
IvNzAxL3dwbmkucG93ZXJwb3N0L2Jsb2cvcG93ZXJwb3N0-AKE0h6AAwGQA-ADmAPgA6gDAeAEAZ
AGAaAGH9gHAA&num=0&cid=5GjhjPfFgb0VoCDtREucmO2e&sig=AOD64_2H4QOD
https://adclick.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=BCVUcYWMFVpO0KtSAMfqBjjiqvPf3
BwAAABABIPLbhSE4AFji9LKcwQJgyY6vi8Ck2A-yARZ3d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tugEJ
Z2ZwX2ltYWdlyAEJ2gGOAWh0dHA6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL3BiL25ld3MvcG93
ZXJwb3N0L3dwLzIwMTUvMDkvMjUvYm9laG5lci1yZXNpZ25zLz9yZXNUeXBlPWFjY2Vzc2liaWxp
dHkmbmlkPW1lbnVfbmF2X2FjY2Vzc2liaWxpdHlmb3JzY3JlZW5yZWFkZXLAAgLgAgDqAiIvNzAx
L3dwbmkucG93ZXJwb3N0L2Jsb2cvcG93ZXJwb3N0-AKE0h6AAwGQA-ADmAPgA6gDAeAEAZAGAaAG
H9gHAA&num=0&cid=5GjhjPfFgb0VoCDtREucmO2e&sig=AOD64_2H4QOD
Boehner, he said, served with "class and humility."
About Obama, Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) complained: "He's run circles
around us since John Boehner was speaker of the House. I think it's a
victory for the American people."
Huelskamp said it was "clear that he did not have the votes to remain as
speaker unless Nancy Pelosi helped him out, which is obviously a very
vulnerable position."
"Obviously the pope had a big impact on him, said Rep. Richard Nugent
(R-Fla.) "That's about the most selfless act I've sever seen, willing to
step down to save this country and save this nation."
Nugent, who did not support Boehner in the January speaker election, said
the room was uniformly shocked - including McCarthy, who told the
conference
immediately afterward that he had only a moment's notice of Boehner's
decision.
The resignation sets up a bruising leadership race that will represent a
long-delayed open clash between conservative and establishment Republicans.
"We don't simply want to move the deck chairs around," said Fleming.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), who regularly allied with House conservatives to
force fights that stymied Boehner, learned of the news at the end of a
press
conference on religious liberty. After saying that leadership decisions
were
up to the party in the House, he launched into a criticism of Boehner's
tenure while never mentioning the retiring speaker's name.
"I have long called on Republican leadership to do something unusual, which
is lead," said Cruz. "Go actually stand up and honor the commitments that
we
made to the American people."
Asked if he felt that Mitch McConnell should also resign, he demurred, then
insisted he was trying to help them answer the concerns of actual voters.
"I
would love to sing their praises as leaders of the conservative movement."
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), also running for president, mentioned Boehner's
resignation at Friday's Values Voter Summit, to huge applause.
"Just a few minutes ago, Speaker Boehner announced that he will be
resigning," Rubio said as the room erupted in applause.
document.domain = "washingtonpost.com";var adContent =
window.parent["google-ad-content-wywppjjbuij1"];window.parent["google-ad-con
tent-wywppjjbuij1"] = null;document.write(adContent);document.close();'"
frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"
style="border: 0px currentColor; vertical-align: bottom; display:
none;"https://adclick.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=BxwrRdWQFVpWZEoKJMLX0sj
jKuPf3BwAAABABIPLbhSE4AFj666-cwQJgyY6vi8Ck2A-yARZ3d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY2
9tugEJZ2ZwX2ltYWdlyAEJ2gGOAWh0dHA6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL3BiL25ld3
MvcG93ZXJwb3N0L3dwLzIwMTUvMDkvMjUvYm9laG5lci1yZXNpZ25zLz9yZXNUeXBlPWFjY2Vzc2
liaWxpdHkmbmlkPW1lbnVfbmF2X2FjY2Vzc2liaWxpdHlmb3JzY3JlZW5yZWFkZXLAAgLgAgDqAi
IvNzAxL3dwbmkucG93ZXJwb3N0L2Jsb2cvcG93ZXJwb3N0-AKE0h6AAwGQA-ADmAPgA6gDAeAEAZ
AGAaAGH9gHAA&num=0&cid=5GhKvNH7OYnCwwCm_cB0iqIG&sig=AOD64_0EEO5t
https://adclick.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=BxwrRdWQFVpWZEoKJMLX0sjjKuPf3
BwAAABABIPLbhSE4AFj666-cwQJgyY6vi8Ck2A-yARZ3d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tugEJ
Z2ZwX2ltYWdlyAEJ2gGOAWh0dHA6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL3BiL25ld3MvcG93
ZXJwb3N0L3dwLzIwMTUvMDkvMjUvYm9laG5lci1yZXNpZ25zLz9yZXNUeXBlPWFjY2Vzc2liaWxp
dHkmbmlkPW1lbnVfbmF2X2FjY2Vzc2liaWxpdHlmb3JzY3JlZW5yZWFkZXLAAgLgAgDqAiIvNzAx
L3dwbmkucG93ZXJwb3N0L2Jsb2cvcG93ZXJwb3N0-AKE0h6AAwGQA-ADmAPgA6gDAeAEAZAGAaAG
H9gHAA&num=0&cid=5GhKvNH7OYnCwwCm_cB0iqIG&sig=AOD64_0EEO5t
Rubio called on conservatives to "turn the page" and "allow a new
generation
of leadership in this country."
"And that extends to the White House and the presidency as well," he added.
"John Boehner dedicated his life to public service. Bringing the Holy
Father
to Congress was a fitting cap to a great career," Jeb Bush tweeted.
National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.)
said he was not at all aware of Boehner's plans and said it's time for the
party to rally around McCarthy. He said Boehner has given his all to the
party and had been a good leader.
"I don't know what he and the Pope talked about yesterday," Walden said.
"If
this was a message from God, I wish he'd send a different message"
Boehner, 65, was first elected to Congress to his southwest Ohio distinct
in
1990 and began a roller coaster ride that brought him into the leadership
fold early, only to be expelled in a rank-and-file rebellion, and then
begin
a long and steady rise back into leadership. That culminated with the
historic 63-seat gain that propelled Republicans into the majority and
handed Boehner the speaker's gavel.
Almost immediately several dozen new Republicans, claiming the tea party
mantle, began clashing with Boehner and opposing his moves. Deep into year
four of his tenure, Boehner privately decided to step down but his likely
successor - then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) - lost a
stunning
upset in his GOP primary, according to aides.
Without a senior Republican to take the gavel, Boehner stayed on in the
hopes of steadying the ship and possibly helping elect a Republican
president. That path became untenable this month as the conservative rebels
plotted to force votes against Boehner, which would have meant that his
Republicans would have to keep taking votes putting them in a political
bind
with conservative voters back home.
Dave Weigel, Kelsey Snell and Jose DelReal and Ed O'Keefe contributed to
this report.
