Republicans feuding about cuts in $1.5 trillion stopgap debt plan - the Hill

[flamingdem]

A package of spending cuts totaling $1.5 trillion has become a political football in the battle between the House and Senate over raising the debt limit.

The cuts have triggered something of a tug-of-war between Republicans on Capitol Hill, who still are not on the same page on the controversial issue.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has signed off on the cuts, according to Senate sources. He wants to attach the spending reductions — which have not been released publicly — to a legislative proposal unveiled last week by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) authorizing President Obama to raise the debt ceiling.

A Senate Democratic aide said the cuts would be added in the House to McConnell’s and Reid’s last-resort proposal to raise the debt limit, giving Republicans in the lower chamber a reason to vote for the compromise.

But House Republicans have other plans. They are considering pairing the $1.5 trillion in spending cuts with a $1.5 trillion increase in the debt ceiling, according to Senate GOP sources. Or they could take a portion of those cuts and match it with an equal amount increase in the debt limit.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) did not rule out the possibility during a brief interview Wednesday.

“All options are on the table,” Cantor told The Hill. ................ SNIP