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Boehner’s goal? Keeping ‘218 frogs in a wheelbarrow’

by Jesse Byrnes - 03/29/15 10:29 AM ET

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) touted a surprising deal reached with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in an interview aired Sunday, but downplayed the close collaboration between their staff.

“No, it was an opportunity that presented itself. The door opened and I walked in. It was as simple as that,” Boehner said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

{mosads}”I was happy that my Democratic colleagues and I were able to come to an agreement to strengthen Medicare, extend the children’s health plan, extend the authorization for community health centers and make a bunch of other changes that, frankly, in the long run will be good for our country,” Boehner said.

The pair surprised many political observers by agreeing to terms on a roughly $200 billion package.

“It’s a little unusual because something like this really hasn’t happened for some time,” Boehner said, referencing an agreement to prevent automatic cuts to doctors under Medicare that lawmakers have long put off.

“Ninety-five percent of what happens here in Congress, every day, happens on a bipartisan basis,” Boehner insisted, noting that lawmakers were exploring solutions “over the last several months.”

Asked if the deal was a sign of more bipartisanship to come, Boehner said, “My goal every day is to try to keep 218 frogs in a wheelbarrow long enough to get something passed.”

Boehner downplayed rumors of a coup to oust him as Speaker, calling the storyline “laughable.”

“It’s a big job. Somebody has to do this,” Boehner said, saying he’d stay on as Speaker “until I’ve had enough of it.”

Tags Boehner Sunday shows