House Republicans are pointing fingers at one another the day after a vote on the Patriot Act failed on their watch, and theyre already bracing for another embarrassing floor vote Wednesday. GOP aides predict that the House will fail to pass a bill Wednesday that would retrieve money already paid to the United Nations a rejection which would bring their legislative losses to three bills this week. The U.N. bill would return $179 million that was paid into the U.N. tax equalization fund.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantors (R-Va.) signature budget slashing initiative, known as YouCut, will be brought up Wednesday under suspension of House rules that require two-thirds vote for passage. Several GOP sources said Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), at the urging of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is lobbying against the bill.
On Tuesday Republicans also yanked a trade bill from the floor hours before it was supposed to come up, just hours before the Patriot Act debacle.
But even with a 65-seat majority, Republicans are still blaming Democrats for their troubles. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who led his party to a historic triumph in the mid-term elections, said his control of the House is new.
Weve been in the majority four weeks, Boehner told reporters Wednesday morning. Were not going to be perfect every day. If the Democrats who voted for these same provisions last year wouldve voted for them this year it wouldve passed. But were going to get these extensions of the Patriot Act enacted because its important to the safety and security of the American people.
Republicans say that Democrats are overplaying their hand, by registering no votes on provisions that can be used against them later.
When asked why Republicans put the bill on the floor under a procedural motion that required two-thirds majority to pass, Boehner didnt have an answer.
It was, Boehner said, when asked why it was placed on the suspension calendar.