Politico reports:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi are heading to the White House Saturday to strategize on the debt ceiling, after it became clear that Reid’s plan is several votes shy of overcoming a Republican filibuster in the Senate and the measure went down in defeat in the House.
Behind the scenes, Reid is also working to build support in the Senate for his plan. He dispatched his Budget Committee chairman, Kent Conrad, to work with rank-and-file Republicans on changes to the plan that would win their support before next Tuesday’s deadline to avert a catastrophic default.
Meanwhile, in a press conference this afternoon, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell repeatedly stated they are "confident" we will reach a resolution on the debt ceiling:
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Saturday he and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) are fully engaged with the White House on a debt deal and expressed optimism an agreement will be reached.
“I’ve spoken with the president and the vice-president within the last hour and a half," McConnell said at a press conference with Boehner shortly after the House rejected Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) debt ceiling plan.
"We are now fully engaged with the one person … who can sign a bill into law,” McConnell told reporters.
Well, at least they've stopped refusing to take the president's phone calls. Progress!
And by the way, here's a reminder, via Think Progress, that Republicans were for raising the debt ceiling before they were against it:
2:21 PM PT: Pelosi and Reid's meeting at the White House has ended. No word yet on whether they're as "confident" as McConnell.
