Uncertainty over the fate of the so-call cromnibus grew Thursday afternoon, when the House concluded debate on the bill and then, rather than voting, Speaker John Boehner called a recess. That strongly suggests Boehner is unsure if he has the votes needed to pass the bill, which would fund most of the government until September, but also relax rules on Wall Street and increase political contribution limits.
Earlier in the day, it had taken GOP leadership more than 30 minutes to squeeze through a procedural vote moving toward final passage of the bill. But with the White House issuing a statement of support for the bill (while simultaneously expressing disapproval of several major provisions in it), and even reportedly making calls to Democratic members of Congress to find out how they were voting, it seemed likely that enough Democrats would vote yes to offset some far-right Republican rebellion.
Similarly, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi condemned the bill and made clear her personal opposition, while tacitly giving Democrats permission to vote for it. Pelosi described the bill as "blackmail," but said she would "respect the decisions" of members voting for it. Clearly, though, Boehner was not confident of passage and wanted to take some time to count votes and possibly twist arms. Those might be Democratic arms, though:
Republican aides told CQ Roll Call that part of the reason for the recess was to give Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer a chance to whip votes on the Democratic side. A Hoyer aide denied this was the cause, saying House Democratic leadership is not whipping votes one way or another.
Once again, despite their strong majority in the House, Republicans are having trouble getting together the votes to pass a major piece of legislation. This really is becoming a John Boehner specialty.
12:01 PM PT: Pelosi writes a "Dear Democratic Colleague" release:
It is clear from this recess on the floor that the Republicans don’t have enough votes to pass the CRomnibus. This increases our leverage to get two offensive provisions of the bill removed: the bank bailout and big money for campaigns provision.
However you decide to vote in the end, I thank those who continue to give us leverage to improve the bill.
12:22 PM PT:
Rs have told House Ds they are not renegotiating the omni. It’s either this package, or a 3 month CR.
— @JakeSherman