The RP’s Budget Crisis Update- August 2

The surprise return of wounded Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was a high point of yesterday's successful debt ceiling vote in the House.

The Obama-McConnell compromise debt deal passed the House of Representatives, receiving 269 Ayes and 161 Noes. Prior to the Monday evening vote, there were concerns that the bill might not pass in that chamber, given resistance it was encountering from both sides of the aisle. However, a late endorsement by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi helped push it through, with about one-half of Democrats, including Pelosi, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, and Assistant Minority Leader James Clyburn all voting yes. [CNN]

Additionally, Arizona Democrat Gabrielle Giffords made an unexpected return to the House floor to vote “Aye” on the compromise bill. Representative Giffords has not been to the Capitol since sustaining a gunshot wound to the head in a January shooting in Tucson that left 13 wounded and 6 dead. Ushered in by her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, and applauded by her colleagues from both sides of the aisle, Giffords was reportedly alert and engaged with her fellow lawmakers, greeting many of them by name. [The Atlantic]

The House of Representatives website has a list of the “Ayes” and “Noes” recorded for the Obama-McConnell debt deal. Those in italics are Democrats, those not are Republicans [House.gov]

Perhaps proving that the deal was passed on the support of relatively moderate (and willing to compromise) member of the House, both far-right and far-left groups have taken issue with the compromise. Right-wing, usually Tea Party-affiliated, groups are complaining that cuts did not go far enough, while left-wing groups such as MoveOn.org have expressed concern that the deal has been made by placing burden on middle-class and elderly Americans. This is in spite of the fact that cuts are set to be completed in November while no cuts have been made in Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid. [Roll Call]

Some are questioning the real power of Tea Party groups in debt negotiations after fully half of the members of the House Tea Party Caucus voted in favor of the Obama-McConnell deal in spite of vows that they would not vote for an increase in the debt ceiling under any circumstances. This comes on the heels of a poll that said that 53% of self-identified Tea Partiers supported a debt deal that included some combination of spending cuts and tax increases. [NY Times]

With the Obama-McConnell compromise bill passed in the House, it now moves on to the Senate, where it is expected to pass, but needs to do so in time to have the bill on President Obama’s desk by the end of Monday to avoid a default. The bill is set to be voted on at around noon, and though it is expected to pass by a wide margin, there needs to be unanimous consent. [NY Times]

Brookings Institution Fellow, former advisor to Bill Clinton, and No Labels Founding Leader Bill Galston has a piece in The New Republic detailing how President Obama could have better handled the budget crisis, including how it could have been avoided and better managed, especially during talks with Speaker Boehner. [The New Republic]