A deal between House Democrats and Republicans on earmarks stalled Thursday despite the GOP declaring victory on the issue after two days of partisan infighting that has shut down the floor.
{mosads}According to sources close to the negotiations, Democrats have requested time limits in order to limit the number of amendments that are brought to the House floor, an issue that has been traditionally worked out between the chairmen and the ranking members of the respective bills’ committee.
“There’s been discussions about some kind of a time agreement,” Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said during a press conference this morning. “But I think the appropriators have done this well in the past, working between the chairman and the ranking member of the various subcommittees and of the full committee. And I would hope that they would continue to work together.”
During the press conference, Republican leadership lined up to declare victory and outline the deal, which they say heavily favors Republican terms.
“House Republicans worked together to demand an end to secret slush funds for earmarks and the right to challenge these earmarks and the spending on the floor of the House and I think we’ve won this round,” said Boehner. “It is clear that the Democratic leaders surrendered to our demands.”
Meanwhile, Democrats downplayed the discussions, saying that nothing has been finalized, and dismissed the Republican press conference as a political stunt.
“Discussions are ongoing,” said Stacey Farnen Bernards, spokeswoman for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). “Their press conference was premature and obviously political.”
Even the victory press conference was not without confusion.
As Boehner exited the podium, a reporter yelled out that the Democrats were saying that there wasn’t a deal.
Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.) responded, “Then it’s going to be a long night.”
The negotiations have continued into the afternoon. At approximately 1:20 p.m., Rob Nabors, the staff director of the House Appropriations Committee, pulled Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) out of his lunch in the Member's Dining Room to talk to Boehner, who was standing alone — no security detail in sight — next to the credit union on the first floor of the Capitol building.
The discussion between Obey and Boehner, with Nabors listening, lasted less than five minutes.
The details of the discussion could not be determined immediately but the conversation appeared amicable even if Obey seemed excited. At times, he jabbed his index finger at Boehner. When it ended, Obey walked up to the second floor of the Capitol and Boehner slipped into his staff's office on the first floor.
The deal was reportedly hatched between Hoyer and Boehner Wednesday. According to the GOP leader, it would allow the passage of the Homeland Security and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bills without earmarks. Meantime, the remaining 10 bills will include a list of requested projects. Members would be permitted to raise a point of order if a bill has earmarks that were added in conference and if a list of earmarks is not included.
Republicans said that the Rules Committee was expected to meet Thursday in order to break the gridlock and change the earmark rule.
A Democratic spokesman for the Rules Committee could not confirm when or if this change would occur later today.