Deuda de EEUU: Senado rechaza plan de Reid y nueva votación se aplazaría para el lunes

EEUU: Senado rechaza plan de Reid y nueva votación se aplazaría para el lunes

Reid no pudo sumar los 60 votos necesarios para hacer avanzar su propuesta, pero se estima que el plan será objeto de nuevas negociaciones con los republicanos que deriven en una posible votación mañana.

El Senado de Estados Unidos rechazó hoy el proyecto de reducción del déficit presentado por el jefe de la bancada demócrata en la cámara alta, Harry Reid, y se abrió así un nuevo compás de espera con negociaciones alrededor de ese mismo plan, y que pueden concluir con un acuerdo para elevar el techo del endeudamiento y evitar un default.

Reid no pudo sumar los 60 votos necesarios para hacer avanzar su propuesta, pero se estima que el plan será objeto de nuevas negociaciones con los republicanos que deriven en una posible votación mañana a las 7 (12GMT).

En una votación de 50 contra 49, el plan del líder de la mayoría del Senado, el demócrata Harry Reid, quedó a pocos votos de los 60 necesarios para avanzar en el organismo de 100 miembros.

En el campo de los republicanos, el presidente de la Cámara de Representantes, John Boehner, envió un correo electrónico sobre la deuda a sus colegas el domingo, indicando que las "conversaciones avanzan en la dirección adecuada, pero quedan asuntos mayores" pendientes.

Por su parte, La Casa Blanca permanece abierta a elevar el límite de deuda de Estados Unidos por unos días adicionales si los legisladores alcanzan un acuerdo y requieren de más tiempo para conseguir su aprobación en el Congreso, afirmó el domingo un funcionario.

Los republicanos y los aliados demócratas del presidente Barack Obama están negociando un pacto para elevar el techo de deuda de 14,3 billones de dólares antes del martes y evitar un moratoria de pagos, pero el tiempo se está agotando.

Incluso con un acuerdo a la mano, tomaría días superar los procedimientos legislativos y llevar el proyecto de ley hasta el despacho de Obama para que lo promulgue.

Republicans blocked a Democratic effort to end debate on Sen. Harry Reid's proposal and move to a vote.

Washington .- Democrats and Republicans are "very close" to reaching a $3 trillion deal that would avoid a possible government default in coming days, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday.


"We had a very good day yesterday," the Kentucky Republican said, adding that the two sides "made dramatic progress" in negotiations on a deal that would cut government spending and raise the federal debt ceiling.

Another Republican senator, Johnny Isakson of Georgia, later told reporters he expected a Monday vote on a compromise.

"It feels like they're going to finish the deal today and then we'll have the vote tomorrow," Isakson said, adding he supports the plan under discussion.

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Pelosi: GOP bill 'perfectly absurd' House Speaker John Boehner, meanwhile, advised his Republican caucus that serious issues remain under discussion, but to be ready for a possible conference call on Sunday to discuss a proposed deal.

Democrats in Congress and the Obama administration agreed that progress has been made, but noted negotiations continue on difficult issues.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, opened the Senate session Sunday by saying there was no agreement yet on raising the federal debt ceiling, but "we are cautiously optimistic."

"If there's a word right here that would sum up the mood, it would be relief -- relief that we won't default," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said on the CNN program. "That's not a certainty, but default is far less of a possibility now than it was even a day ago."

With the deadline to reach a debt ceiling agreement just two days away, congressional leaders and the White House are trying to complete the possible deal that would extend the debt limit through 2012 -- a presidential election year.

If Congress fails to raise the current $14.3 trillion debt ceiling by Tuesday, Americans could face rising interest rates and a declining dollar, among other problems.

Some financial experts have warned of a downgrade of America's triple-A credit rating and a potential stock market plunge. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped for a sixth straight day on Friday.

Without an increase in the debt limit, the federal government will not be able to pay all its bills next month. President Barack Obama recently indicated he can't guarantee Social Security checks will be mailed out on time.

In Afghanistan on Sunday, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen was unable to assure U.S. troops they would get their paychecks following the August 2 deadline without a deal. Mullen said August 15 would be the first payday jeopardized if the United States defaults.

Last week, a Department of Defense official told on condition of not being identified that "it's not a question of whether, but when" military pay gets withheld if no agreement is reached.

Vice President Joe Biden arrived at the White House on Sunday morning, though no additional formal talks involving the administration and congressional leaders have been announced. A Democratic source told on condition of not being identified that Biden was engaged in behind-the-scenes negotiations with both congressional legislators and the administration.

Initial news of a possible deal came shortly after the Senate delayed consideration of a debt ceiling proposal by Reid late Saturday night, pushing back a key procedural vote by 12 hours. When that vote occurred on Sunday afternoon, Republicans blocked a Democratic effort to end debate on the Reid proposal and move to a vote, extending consideration of the plan while negotiations continue.

The vote was 50-49, short of the super-majority of 60 required to pass.

Reid plans to insert a negotiated final agreement into the proposal once a deal has been reached. When it became clear that Democrats would lose Sunday's vote, Reid voted against his own plan in a procedural move to preserve the ability to bring it up again.

According to McConnell and other congressional and administration officials interviewed Sunday, as well as various sources who spoke on condition of not being identified, the deal under discussion would be a two-step process intended to bring as much as $3 trillion in deficit reduction over 10 years.

Some sources provided differing targets for the total, ranging from $2.4 trillion up to $3 trillion.

A first step would include about $1 trillion in spending cuts while raising the debt ceiling about the same amount. The proposal also would set up a special committee of Democratic and Republican legislators from both chambers of Congress to recommend additional deficit reduction steps -- including tax reform as well as reforms to popular entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security.

The committee's recommendations would be put to a vote by Congress, without any amendments, by the end of the year. If Congress fails to pass the package, a so-called "trigger" mechanism would enact automatic spending cuts. Either way -- with the package passed by Congress or the trigger of automatic cuts -- a second increase in the debt ceiling would occur, but with an accompanying congressional vote of disapproval.

In addition, the agreement would require both chambers of Congress to vote on a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Such an amendment would require two-thirds majorities in both chambers to pass, followed by ratification by 38 states -- a process likely to take years.

Schumer told that a main sticking point still under discussion was the trigger mechanism of automatic spending cuts in case Congress fails to enact the special committee's recommendations.

According to sources, cuts in the trigger mechanism would be across-the-board, including Medicare and defense spending, to present an unpalatable alternative for both parties in the event Congress fails to pass the special committee's proposal.

"You want to make it hard for them just to walk away and wash their hands," Gene Sperling, the director of Obama's National Economic Council, told. "You want them to say, if nothing happens, there will be a very tough degree of pain that will take place."

Preliminary reaction showed sensitivity to that pain. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, said the automatic spending cuts under a trigger mechanism should not affect Medicare benefits for senior citizens.

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National Debt

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U.S. Senate

Harry Reid

John Boehner

"The way we understand it's going to be worded is it does not affect beneficiaries. It would affect providers and insurance companies," Levin said. "That should be the case, because if it hits beneficiaries, you're going to lose lots of Democratic votes."

Meanwhile, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, an aide to former Republican President George W. Bush, warned that automatic spending cuts for the military under the trigger would put national security at risk.

"By exposing critical defense programs to disproportionate cuts as part of the 'trigger mechanism,' there is a clear risk that key defense programs will be hollowed out," Bolton said in a statement.

Overall, the agreement under discussion would increase the debt limit in two stages, both of which would occur automatically -- a key Democratic demand that would prevent a repeat of the current crisis before the next election.

McConnell, who appears to have become the lead Republican negotiator, said he is "very, very close to being able ... to recommend to my members that this is something that they ought to support."

The deal will not include tax increases, McConnell added, expressing a key demand of Republicans. Obama has pushed for a comprehensive approach that would include additional tax revenue as well as spending cuts and entitlement reforms to reduce budget deficits.

Reid, D-Nevada, said Saturday night that the delay in considering his proposal was additional time for negotiations at the White House.

His announcement capped a day of sharp partisan voting in the House and extended talks behind closed doors between congressional and administration officials. Concern continued to grow that Congress will fail to raise the nation's debt ceiling in time to avoid a potentially devastating national default this week.

Earlier Saturday, the Republican-controlled House rejected Reid's plan -- partisan payback for the Democratic-controlled Senate's rejection of Boehner's plan Friday night.

House members rejected Reid's plan in a 246-173 vote. Most Democrats supported the measure; every Republican voted against it.

For their part, Republicans continued to trumpet Boehner's proposal. The measure won House approval Friday, but only by a narrow margin after a one-day delay during which the speaker was forced to round up support from wary tea party conservatives.

Boehner's deal with conservatives -- which added a provision requiring congressional approval of a balanced budget amendment in order to raise the debt limit next year -- was sharply criticized by Democrats, who called it a political nonstarter.

Democratic leaders vehemently object not only to the balanced budget amendment, but also the GOP's insistence that a second debt ceiling vote be held before the next election. They argue that reaching bipartisan agreement on another debt ceiling hike during an election year could be nearly impossible, and that short-term extensions of the limit could further destabilize the economy.

Leaders of both parties now agree that any deal to raise the debt ceiling should include long-term spending reductions to help control spiraling deficits. But they have differed on both the timetable and requirements tied to certain cuts.

Boehner's plan proposed generating a total of $917 billion in savings while initially raising the debt ceiling by $900 billion. The speaker has pledged to match any debt ceiling hike with dollar-for-dollar spending cuts.

His plan would require a second vote by Congress to raise the debt ceiling by a combined $2.5 trillion -- enough to last through the end of 2012. It would create a special congressional committee to recommend additional savings of $1.6 trillion or more.

Any failure on the part of Congress to enact mandated spending reductions or abide by new spending caps would trigger automatic across-the-board budget cuts.

The plan also calls for congressional passage of a balanced budget amendment before the second vote to raise the debt ceiling.

Reid's plan, meanwhile, would reduce deficits over the next decade by $2.4 trillion and raise the debt ceiling by a similar amount. It includes $1 trillion in savings based on the planned U.S. withdrawals from military engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Reid's plan also would establish a congressional committee made up of 12 House and Senate members to consider additional options for debt reduction. The committee's proposals would be guaranteed by a Senate vote with no amendments by the end of the year.

In addition, it incorporates a process based on a proposal by McConnell that would give Obama the authority to raise the debt ceiling in two steps while providing Congress the opportunity to vote its disapproval.

Among other things, Reid has stressed that his plan meets the key GOP demand for no additional taxes. Boehner, however, argued last week that Reid's plan fails to tackle popular entitlement programs such as Medicare, which are among the biggest drivers of the debt.

A recent CNN/ORC International Poll reveals a growing public exasperation and demand for compromise. Sixty-four percent of respondents to a July 18-20 survey preferred a deal with a mix of spending cuts and tax increases. Only 34% preferred a debt reduction plan based solely on spending reductions.

According to the poll, the public is sharply divided along partisan lines; Democrats and independents are open to a number of different approaches because they think a failure to raise the debt ceiling would cause a major crisis for the country. Republicans, however, draw the line at tax increases, and a narrow majority of them oppose raising the debt ceiling under any circumstances.

 

U.S. DEBT TALKS DEADLINE: Boehner vs. Reid bills: Where they meet

NEW YORK.- There certainly are some big differences between the debt-ceiling bill proposed by House Speaker John Boehner and the one proposed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

But there is also more than $900 billion's worth of compromise between the two.

Both bills call for caps on discretionary spending -- that's the money Washington uses to pay for defense and all manner of government agencies and programs.

Excluding spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Boehner bill would reduce overall spending by $917 billion over 10 years, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates. Similarly, Reid's bill would cut spending by $927 billion.

Breaking those estimates down further, Boehner's bill would cut discretionary spending by $756 billion and save $156 billion in interest costs on the debt. The comparable numbers for Reid's bill are $752 billion and $153 billion.

Both bills also ignore the hot-potato issues of tax and entitlement reform.

So why can't these two bills get along?

There are some major sticking points.

Boehner's plan: The House bill would call for a two-stage increase in the debt ceiling. The first would be worth $900 billion, which might cover the Treasury Department's borrowing needs into early 2012.

But the House bill would set two high hurdles that would have to be cleared before increasing the debt ceiling by another $1.6 trillion -- which could cover borrowing needs past the presidential elections into 2013 .

Spending cuts to whack economy?

First, Congress would have to approve $1.8 trillion worth of debt-reduction proposals by the end of this year. Those proposals would be made by a joint committee the bill would create and no amendments would be permitted.

In addition, to secure the second debt ceiling increase Congress would have to enact a balanced budget amendment by a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate, which is very difficult to secure.

Overall, Boehner's bill would increase the debt ceiling by a total of $2.5 trillion in exchange for $2.7 trillion in debt reduction.

Reid's plan: By contrast, Reid's bill as amended would set a procedure to raise the debt ceiling by $416 right away and two more times after that for a total debt ceiling increase of $2.4 trillion, in exchange for $2.2 trillion in debt reduction.

Reid's cuts count roughly $1.3 trillion in war savings in Iraq and Afghanistan, including debt service costs. But those savings can only be claimed if one assumes that U.S. engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan will continue at full throttle for the next decade, which is not realistic.

Like Boehner's bill, Reid's legislation would create a joint committee but it would be charged with proposing ways to reduce annual deficits to 3% or less of gross domestic product. And while the Senate would have to vote on those proposals without amendment, there is no requirement the proposals be enacted.
The House approved the Boehner bill on Friday evening in a 218-210 vote; 22 Republicans voted against it and no Democrats voted for it. But the Senate then promptly voted to table it. That was expected, since 53 senators on Thursday said that if presented with the Boehner bill they would vote against it.

It's also not at all clear that Reid's plan will pass the Senate, which is scheduled to vote on it at 1 am Sunday.

Presuming both measures fail to generate sufficient support in one or both chambers, lawmakers will have to get serious about striking a real compromise between the parties and the two chambers.

At the rate they're going they may have mere hours to do so before the government's borrowing authority is fully exhausted on Tuesday

Senate Democrats block Boehner debt ceiling plan after House approval
 
House Speaker John Boehner's plan to raise the nation's debt ceiling and slash government spending narrowly passed his chamber on Friday and then was blocked by Senate Democrats, setting up a weekend of negotiations to seek a deal that would avoid a potential federal default next week.


The Senate vote was 59-41 to table the measure, which effectively kills it unless Democrats decide to bring it up again.

Earlier, Boehner's proposal was approved by the House in a sharply polarized 218-210 vote that was delayed by a day while the speaker rounded up support from wary tea party conservatives. No Democrats supported the measure, and 22 of the 240 members of the Republican majority also opposed it.

Even though it was blocked in the Senate, the Boehner plan now is the Republican negotiating position for hammering out a deal with congressional Democrats and President Barack Obama to avert a possible government default next week.

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However, no face-to-face talks were scheduled, with Democrats accusing Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of refusing to negotiate and McConnell in turn seeking a chance for his caucus to reject a proposal offered by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid as a vehicle for compromise.

Democratic and Republican sources familiar with the situation told CNN that McConnell insists the White House be present in further negotiations toward a debt ceiling deal.

In a continuation of the political theater that has characterized the negotiations so far, the House scheduled a vote on the Reid plan for Saturday -- before the Senate will even begin considering it -- as what appeared to be payback for the rejection by Senate Democrats of the Boehner proposal.

Reid, meanwhile, said the Senate will likely vote to take up his plan at 1 a.m. Sunday ET as part of the procedural path required to get something passed in coming days.

As the political maneuvering continues, the clock continues to tick down. If Congress fails to raise the current $14.3 trillion debt ceiling by August 2, Americans could face rising interest rates and a declining dollar, among other problems.

Some financial experts have warned of a downgrade of America's triple-A credit rating and a potential stock market plunge. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped for a sixth straight day on Friday.

Without an increase in the debt limit, the federal government will not be able to pay all its bills next month. Obama recently indicated he can't guarantee Social Security checks will be mailed out on time.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta issued a statement Friday to remind military personnel that they should plan to come to work next week as scheduled, regardless of whether a deal gets worked out. Panetta pledged to do "everything possible to ensure that our national defense is protected."

A Department of Defense official told on condition of not being identified that on the possibility of military pay being withheld, "it's not a question of whether, but when, if an agreement isn't reached."

Friday's House vote was a critical test of Boehner's control over his tea party-infused GOP caucus. The speaker was forced to quell a right-wing revolt over the measure after a number of members complained that it doesn't do enough to shrink the size of government and stem the tide of Washington's red ink.

Boehner, R-Ohio, managed to sway several of those members by including a provision requiring congressional passage of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution before the debt ceiling can be extended through the end of 2012.

In his floor speech before the vote, Boehner called the proposal imperfect but necessary, and he criticized Obama and congressional Democrats for rejecting all deficit reduction measures passed by the House so far.

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John McCain taking on the tea party? "We've tried to do our level best ... but some people continue to say no," Boehner said, adding: "I stuck my neck out a mile to try to get an agreement with the president of the United States."

His voice rising to a shout, Boehner continued to cheers and applause from fellow Republicans: "It is time for this administration and the other party across the aisle -- put something on the table. Tell us where you are."

Democratic leaders vehemently object both to the balanced budget amendment and the requirement of a second debt ceiling vote before the next election. They argue that reaching bipartisan agreement on another debt ceiling hike during an election year could be nearly impossible, and that short-term extensions of the limit could further destabilize the economy.

Earlier in the day, Obama urged Senate Democrats and Republicans to take the lead in the congressional deliberations.

Boehner's plan "has no chance of becoming law," Obama said. "The time for putting party first is over. The time for compromise on behalf of the American people is now. ... It's important for everybody to step up and show the leadership that the American people expect."

"This is not a situation where the two parties are miles apart," the president insisted. But "we are almost out of time."

Obama urged Americans to contact their members of Congress "to keep the pressure on Washington." Phone lines on Capitol Hill were jammed Friday as people from coast to coast tried to weigh in on the debate.

Meanwhile, Reid, D-Nevada, has been pushing his own plan to raise the debt limit, though he will need to win over at least seven Senate Republicans to win the 60 votes necessary to overcome a certain filibuster.

Reid announced Friday morning that he intended to "take action" on a Senate bill by the end of the day. Later, he complained on the Senate floor that Republicans would effectively filibuster his proposal by requiring a 60-vote super-majority in the 100-member chamber to support the start of debate on it. It was unclear when Reid would attempt to hold that vote, and he warned it could as late as 1 a.m. ET Sunday.

Reid also blasted Boehner's decision to include a mandatory balanced budget amendment provision in the GOP plan, calling the addition of "even more stuff in this right-wing leaning bill. ... It's really hard to comprehend."

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, accused Boehner of "adding all kinds of unrealistic poison pills to his plan."

But McConnell, R-Kentucky, argued Senate Democrats were doing little to actually resolve the crisis.

"I would suggest to my friends on the other side ... that they start taking their responsibilities as a majority party a little more seriously, because at this point, the only people who are disregarding the consequences of default are Senate Democrats -- not the Republicans in the House -- but them," McConnell said. In a statement after the House vote, McConnell said: "I eagerly await the majority leader's plan for preventing this crisis."

Leaders of both parties now agree that any deal to raise the debt ceiling should include long-term spending reductions to help control spiraling deficits. But they differ sharply on both the nature and timetable of the cuts.

Despite the strong partisan rhetoric, there have been signs of a growing recognition of a need for further compromise. Earlier this week, McConnell called for renewed negotiations with Obama, and indicated that his party must be willing to move away from some of its demands.

Sources close to the negotiations have also told that Vice President Joe Biden is very much in the mix of back-channel conversations on a possible fallback position.

White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley told Thursday that, presuming the Boehner plan wins House approval and gets blocked in the Senate, the next step is for everyone "to take a step back in the Congress and look at where is a point of compromise."

Daley said that similarities between the Boehner and Reid plans "may be the grounds for a deal that, hopefully, both parties can pass."

Both plans suffered setbacks earlier this week when the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released reports concluding that they fell short of their stated deficit reduction goals.

Boehner's plan, which has since been revised, proposed generating a total of $917 billion in savings while initially raising the debt ceiling by $900 billion. The speaker has pledged to match any debt ceiling hike with dollar-for-dollar spending cuts.

His plan, however, would require a second vote by Congress to raise the debt ceiling by a combined $2.5 trillion -- enough to last through the end of 2012. It would create a special congressional committee to recommend additional savings of $1.6 trillion or more.

Any failure on the part of Congress to enact mandated spending reductions or abide by new spending caps would trigger automatic across-the-board budget cuts.

The plan, as amended Friday, also calls for congressional passage of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution before the second vote to raise the debt ceiling, which would likely be required at some point during the winter.

As for Reid's plan, a revised version he proposed Friday would reduce deficits over the next decade by $2.4 trillion and raise the debt ceiling by a similar amount. It includes $1 trillion in savings based on the planned U.S. withdrawals from military engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Reid's plan also would establish a congressional committee made up of 12 House and Senate members to consider additional options for debt reduction. The committee's proposals would be guaranteed by a Senate vote with no amendments by the end of the year.

In addition, it incorporates a process based on proposal by McConnell that would give Obama the authority to raise the debt ceiling in two steps while providing Congress the opportunity to vote its disapproval.

Among other things, Reid has stressed that his plan meets the key GOP demand for no additional taxes. Boehner, however, argued this week that Reid's plan fails to tackle popular entitlement programs such as Medicare, which are among the biggest drivers of the debt.

A recent CNN/ORC International Poll reveals a growing public exasperation and demand for compromise. Sixty-four percent of respondents to a July 18-20 survey preferred a deal with a mix of spending cuts and tax increases. Only 34% preferred a debt reduction plan based solely on spending reductions.

According to the poll, the public is sharply divided along partisan lines; Democrats and independents are open to a number of different approaches because they think a failure to raise the debt ceiling would cause a major crisis for the country. Republicans, however, draw the line at tax increases, and a narrow majority of them oppose raising the debt ceiling under any circumstances.

DEUDA DE ESTADOS UNIDOS: Obama asegura que "el tiempo se termina" para que EEUU logre acuerdo sobre deuda

El presidente Barack Obama advirtió este viernes que "el tiempo se termina" para que Estados Unidos alcance un acuerdo para incrementar el límite de la deuda, insistiendo en que un compromiso es posible.


"No es una situación en la que las dos partes estén a millas de distancia", dijo Obama en la Casa Blanca, al tiempo que reiteró que el acuerdo debe ser bipartidario, y urgió a los estadounidenses a mantener la presión sobre el Congreso para lograrlo.

"Es claro ahora que cualquier solución para evitar el 'default' debe ser bipartidaria. Debe tener el apoyo de ambos partidos que fueron enviados aquí a representar al pueblo estadounidense. No solamente una facción", afirmó.

Semanas de discusiones no bastaron para llegar a un acuerdo sobre un plan de reducción del déficit acompañada de un aumento del techo de la deuda, que en mayo alcanzó su límite legal de 14,294 billones de dólares, es decir cerca del 100% del PIB.

Obama habló luego de que una embestida de su ala más conservadora provocará el caos en el Partido Republicano, que trata de salvar un proyecto presentado por el presidente de la Cámara de Representantes, John Boehner, aunque los demócratas del Senado y la Casa Blanca adelantaron que no lo aprobarán.

"El límite de la deuda no determina cuánto dinero podemos gastar, simplemente nos autoriza a pagar las deudas ya contraídas. Otorga a Estados Unidos la capacidad de mantener su palabra", subrayó el mandatario.

Obama dijo que ambas partes concuerdan en general sobre los gastos que deben reducirse y en los pasos a dar en los próximos meses sobre reformas impositivas y la puesta en práctica de algún mecanismo regulador.

"Por lo tanto tenemos muchas maneras de salir de este caos. Pero se nos termina el tiempo. Necesitamos un compromiso para el martes para que nuestro país pueda pagar sus deudas a tiempo, como siempre lo ha hecho".

Obama reiteró su llamamiento a la opinión pública para que mantenga la presión sobre los congresistas a fin de que lleguen a un compromiso, después de que una exhortación similar realizada el lunes inundara de mensajes las páginas web del Congreso y saturara las líneas telefónicas.

"Por mi parte, nuestra administración continuará trabajando con demócratas y republicanos todo el fin de semana hasta encontrar una solución. El tiempo de poner al partido primero se terminó", advirtió el presidente.

"El tiempo del compromiso en favor del pueblo estadounidense es ahora y creo que podemos resolver este problema, y confío en que resolveremos este problema".

El presidente de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, habla este viernes de la eficiencia del combustible para el periodo 2017-2025, en el centro de convenciones Walter E. Washington, en Washington.

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