"I actually think we should just do a clean debt ceiling," Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, said. Susan Walsh/AP file photo
Republicans Scrap Plan to Tie Debt Limit Vote to Keystone, Obamacare
Many GOP lawmakers anticipate the House will eventually vote on a clean debt ceiling increase.
Well, it looks like House Republicans are back at the drawing board over what to do about the debt limit.
House Leadership has pulled the plug on proposals that would tie raising the debt ceiling with approval of the Keystone XL pipeline or eliminating the so-called risk corridors in the Affordable Care Act because these plans couldn't reach 218 votes, according to a House aide with knowledge of the talks.
The debt limit has been suspended through Feb. 7, and the Treasury Department estimates it has enough extraordinary measures to last through the end of the month.
Republicans may seek other priorities in exchange for raising the debt limit and no clear strategy has emerged.
A number of Republicans have anticipated that the House will eventually vote on a clean debt ceiling increase. Even conservatives like Rep. Raul Labrador of Idaho are saying that's the path forward. "I actually think we should just do a clean debt ceiling," he told reporters this week. "Give the Democrats their vote. We don't have to vote for it."