(WASHINGTON) -- Senate leaders have reached an agreement on a compromise that would fund the government until Jan. 15 and extend the debt limit until Feb. 7. The proposal will also require income verification for people receiving health insurance premium subsidies from the federal government and it will ensure that the Treasury Department has the authority to use "extraordinary measures" to temporarily extend the debt limit, if necessary. And in a bid to potentially prevent a replay of the current crisis, the House and Senate will appoint a new committee to negotiate a budget for the remainder of the year, with their agreement due by Dec. 13. With less than a day remaining before the debt limit is reached, Congress needs to work feverishly to pass the legislation that would also end the partial government shutdown. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have worked for days to craft compromise legislation and both sides said they believe that the resulting proposal would pass the Senate and eventually be taken up in the House. But what happens there could test what little political strength House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has left. Boehner suffered a major loss Tuesday when his proposals to end the impasse twice did not appear to have enough votes from Republicans to pass on the House floor. And the Senate's proposal was not expected to include much of what conservative Republicans could support, which could make its path in the House rockier. Time is not on Congress' side, so the best prospects for the bill's passage could involve starting the process in the House of Representatives. In that scenario, Boehner would take the Senate's compromise to the House floor in a procedural move designed to speed up the process of passage because filibusters are not allowed in the House. In a second scenario, the Senate would move first and work with members to avoid objections that could slow down the bill's progress. If Boehner insists on passing legislation with a majority of his caucus, he would be forced to amend a Senate proposal. Democrats, on the other hand, have encouraged him to take up the Senate's proposal with help from Democratic votes. But such a scenario would be a damaging political defeat for a Republican House speaker who has already struggled to corral his strong-willed caucus. Either way, however, Republicans now face the reality that they will not get any major concessions from Democrats in exchange for raising the debt limit and re-opening the government. It will be an ignominious end to a saga that has ravished the party in public opinion polls and has raised doubt in financial markets that the two political parties are capable of resolving their differences. Neither the Senate plan nor the House's short-lived proposal defunded or postponed President Obama's health care law, which was the center of tea party Republican demands for re-opening the government. And even more modest concessions put forward by Boehner -- for example to repeal the unpopular tax on medical devices and repeal government subsidies for congressional and administration staffers' health care -- could not get enough Republican support to pass. All eyes will be on financial markets Wednesday as the clock ticks closer to zero hour for the debt limit. Asked whether there are concerns about how the markets will react tomorrow, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., suggested that they would be heartened by signs of progress. "Obviously we want to get this done as quickly as possible for the good of the country, the markets, etc but the markets should know that right now it's not done yet but we're on a good track," Schumer said Tuesday night. Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Indiana’s three Governor candidates met in their first debate from the Zionsville Performing Arts Center. Republican Rep. Mike Pence, Democrat John Gregg and Libertarian Rupert Boneham met in an hour long debate that talked about jobs, education, corrections, fiscal and tax policy and a lot more issues. Watch the video of the debate Courtesy of […]
The latest edition of Afternoons with Amos Candidate Tuesdays involved Democratic and Republican candidates in three area State Senate Districts. Candidates from two districts appeared. Senate District 28 – which includes all of Hancock County, the northern third of Shelby County and a corridor within Marion County bounded roughly by Keystone, East County Line Road, […]
The two candidates for Indiana Attorney General appeared on Afternoons with Amos and made their case for why Hoosiers should vote for them in the November 6th election. Incumbent Republican Attorney General Greg Zoeller and Democratic challenger Kay Fleming each told listeners what they would do if elected by the voters. Both candidates talked about […]
UPDATED WITH VICE-PRESIDENT’S SPEECH: Don’t take the words of the soundbites from the local or national TV. Hear exactly what Vice President Joe Biden and Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney said to the delegates of the National NAACP Convention Wednesday in Houston. Hear the speech, the applause, the cheers, the silence and the boos for […]
Democratic Governor candidate John Gregg blasted Republican candidate Mike Pence for his extremist views on issues crucial to African-Americans and all Hoosiers. Appearing on Afternoons With Amos, Gregg talked about Mike Pence’s past positions of numerous issues, from opposing the minimum wage, the Americans for Disabilities Act and health care and services for women. Gregg […]
Audio Included in Post. Runs 46 Minutes ©2011 WTLC/Radio One. Continuing her series of detailed policy announcements, Democratic mayoral candidate Melina Kennedy outlined her proposals for improving education in Indianapolis last week. Kennedy talked about her plans on Afternoons with Amos. They include a focus on early childhood education, closer cooperation with area school districts, […]
Audio Included in Post. Runs 28 Minutes. Audio ©2010 WTLC/Radio One. Marion County Prosecutor-elect Terry Curry made his first post-election appearance on Afternoons with Amos. Curry talked with Amos and listeners about the campaign, his priorities once he takes office January 1st, the transition and other issues. Hear the interview above.
