A last-minute debt and deficit package easily passed the House of Representatives Monday night, but was roundly thrashed by the right and left.
The measure, which is expected to clear the Senate on Tuesday, includes $3 trillion in budget cuts and a two-step, $2.4 trillion increase in the national debt ceiling.
The deal was demanded by administration officials and business groups that said upping the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling was essential to averting a government default by midnight Tuesday.
When asked if a credit rating downgrade is likely anyway, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner told reporters, I dont know. Its hard to tell. I think this is a good result but a terrible process, he said. And again, again, as the world watched Congress step up to the edge of the abyss it made them really wonder whether this place can work.
Most of Florida's House delegation sided with the majority, but few sounded enthusiastic about their vote.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, D-Fort Lauderdale, was the most upbeat, declaring early Monday that Democrats "won" the day with bipartisan compromise.
"Democrats protected Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security," said Wasserman-Schultz, who also heads the Democratic National Committee.
On the other hand, Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Tallahassee, voted against the measure, saying, I believe that any serious plan for spending reform must begin with guaranteed congressional approval of a balanced budget amendment and spending cuts large enough to eliminate the threat of a crippling downgrade in Americas credit rating.This compromise ensures neither.
"I was hopeful that Id have the opportunity to support an aggressive, long-term spending solution.Regretfully, however, I recognized that this agreement falls short of addressing our historic economic challenges and does not alleviate the threat of a crippling downgrade in Americas credit rating."
Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, also voted against the measure and issued this statement afterward:
"Regardless of its enactment, the U.S. will still be at serious risk of losing its AAA credit rating. To date, the only plan introduced that passes muster for the credit rating agencies is the 'cut, cap and balance' legislation which passed the House with bipartisan support last week and is purposefully being blocked in the Senate."
Posey said a balanced-budget amendment is needed "to ensure that Washington's addiction to spending is broken."
This bill grows the debt to $16.7 trillion without implementing a long-term plan to control spending," he added.
Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, voted for the debt package, but acknowledged that it "isnt my first choice."
Nevertheless, Rooney said, This vote sends a message to the American people that while we still have significant work left to do, we heard their demands in November to cut spending and get government under control.
"President Obama and congressional Democrats began this debate by requesting a so-called clean increase in the debt limit -- basically, a blank check to continue their spending binge. We successfully changed the debate from, How much can we spend? to 'How much can we save?'"
Stiff opposition by tea party-backed congressmen like Southerland elicited sharp attacks from Democratic partisans.
Vice President Joe Biden, speaking to a party caucus earlier Monday, was quoted as saying he agreed that tea party Republicans "were acting like terrorists."
Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, said after the vote:
"I share my constituents dismay over the tea partys willingness to use the threat of economic catastrophe to ram through Congress a plan to destroy Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Todays compromise blocked their efforts by protecting the hard-earned benefits of the American people."
In a bit of gamesmanship, many Democrats held back in the early counting Monday night and waited for Republicans to cast votes. The Republican ranks held, with such tea party favorites as Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, following House Speaker John Boehner in supporting the measure.
The suspense evaporated quickly, as Republicans began casting "yes" votes by a 3-to-1 margin.
The final tally for passage was 269-161. Republicans backed the measure 174-66 while Democrats split almost evenly for and against.
But approval of the deal was bittersweet at best.
The budget cuts were a far cry from the "clean" debt ceiling initially demanded by President Barack Obama.
But conservative skeptics say those cuts will be made over a 10-year period and that the federal spending juggernaut will continue unimpeded.
Voting against the plan, Rep. Connie Mack, R-Naples, called it loaded with "gimmicks and schemes."
Critics on the left and right also derided the creation of a so-called "supercommittee" of lawmakers that would be empowered to make future budget decisions.
"Making matters worse, the proposal hands authority to a small congressional commission with the prospect of large cuts in defense spending and Medicare benefits," Southerland said.
Rooney said he remained "gravely concerned about the additional cuts to our defense that could be triggered if the joint committee cannot reach an agreement on further deficit reduction."
West, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, expressed confidence that defense appropriations would be protected and told CNN he hoped"true tax reform" could eventually emerge from the supercommittee.
"For the first time in American history tonight, the United States House of Representatives raised the debt ceiling with equal to or exceeding spending cuts," West said.
On the campaign trail, Republican presidential candidates were nearly unanimous in opposing the debt package.
Mitt Romney, who had remained on the sidelines during the congressional negotiations, said, While I appreciate the extraordinarily difficult situation President Obamas lack of leadership has placed Republican members of Congress in, I personally cannot support this deal."
The former Massachusetts governor predicted that the deal opens the door to higher taxes.
Other GOP presidential hopefuls, notably U.S. Ron Paul, R-Texas, say the debt and deficit exercise on Capitol Hill is little more than a shell game.
"The cuts being discussed are illusory and are not cuts from current amounts being spent, but cuts in prospective spending increases," Paul said.
"This is akin to a family saving $100,000 in expenses by deciding not to buy a Lamborghini and instead getting a fully loaded Mercedes when really their budget dictates that they need to stick with their perfectly serviceable Honda."
In the Senate, it appears that Florida Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Bill Nelson will split their votes Tuesday
Rubio's office said the freshman senator would oppose the measure while Nelson said he would vote for it.
Nelson, who is up for re-election in 2011, said, "Its not a perfect plan, but its something we need to have now." Up until now, Nelson has voted to raise the debt ceiling six times while voting "no" four times.
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Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 559-4719.
