Reid vows to defeat Boehner plan

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday said Democrats would defeat the latest proposal from House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to raise the debt ceiling.

He accused Boehner of being beholden to Tea Party conservatives in his caucus, and questioned the Speaker’s commitment to avoiding a default.

{mosads}“Speaker Boehner’s plan is not a compromise. It was written for the Tea Party, not the American people. Democrats will not vote for it. Democrats will not vote for it. Democrats will not vote for it,” Reid said.

“It’s dead on arrival in the Senate, if they get it out of the House,” he added.

Reid reiterated that it is the firm position of Senate Democrats that a short-term increase in the debt limit is not acceptable.

“We’re not going to have a short-term extension, so there’s no discussions regarding that. We will not do that. The president won’t agree to that and my caucus will not agree to it,” Reid said.

Boehner’s plan would raise the debt ceiling by about $1 trillion, requiring Congress to act again next year to extend borrowing authority beyond the 2012 election.

The White House announced Tuesday that senior administration officials would recommend President Obama veto Boehner’s proposal.

“The administration strongly opposes House passage of the amendment in the nature of a substitute to S. 627. If 627 is presented to the president, the president’s senior advisors would recommend that he veto this bill,” read the statement of administration policy.

Watch Reid below. 

This story was updated at 4:20 p.m.