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Lawmakers Making Headway in Fiscal Cliff Talks?

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    Rep. Jason Altmire, (D-Penn.), on the progress in the fiscal cliff negotiations.

  • Duration 4:59
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Here's how right we can't avoid the top stories fiscal cliff would get ahead.

There's no escaping -- the clock is ticking still no deal on the clip the finger pointing goes both ways the country waits for action which could come tonight.

With a vote in the senate but nothing nothing has been scheduled and the house won't be able to act until later this week joining me now.

-- democratic congress.

Jason -- -- from Pennsylvania certainly appreciate your being here I realize that you will be leaving congress you're all gonna be able to vote on what -- is finally presented.

But I'm curious.

Does this -- -- deal have the potential -- it -- through the senate.

To pass the house.

I think it's going to pass the house as I understand the parameters of the deal.

The house I think would get a majority vote probably substantial majority -- I think it's gonna pass this edited them might still happen not tonight but tomorrow so that would still be the current session of congress.

We're not gonna get a bill to the president tonight is because of the logistics of drafting the bill -- sending it to the senate in bringing it to the house but I think we're gonna get it done tomorrow.

So we will have avoided.

A catastrophic event for the economy but we still could've done better with the with the timing.

So -- let's put out some of the details of what's in the works in the senate we understand that the deal at least for taxes which Mitch McConnell said taking care of tax rates will go up for anyone making 400000 dollars or more -- single person 450000.

Dollars for a married couple we understand that.

But the soonest this could get to the house to be when tomorrow and then when could the house actually vote on the.

Assuming speaker Boehner brings the senate bill to the house floor for a vote we don't have confirmation he's going to do that.

It could be as early as tomorrow morning assuming the senate acts.

At which point we capacity and get it on the president's desk by the end of the day tomorrow.

But it doesn't include -- of the spending cuts that Republicans have been adamant about getting I mean spending out of control Democrats and Republicans agree upon that.

How -- speaker Boehner rallied those members of his caucus who did not rally behind them about a week ago if there are no spending cut.

Well a couple of things one is remember this sequestration still takes effect because we didn't act to change that.

Those are spending cuts those are hundreds of billions of dollars of spending cuts.

The Republicans don't like the way those cuts come down but their real cuts assuming we don't deal with that.

You have the debt ceiling coming up in speaker Boehner really -- have any leverage with regard to what we're doing right now -- the fiscal cliff but he has a lot of leverage with the debt ceiling I hope he doesn't choose to use it by.

Leveraging the for the full faith and credit of the United States.

To gain and political points but.

If he chooses to use the debt ceiling as a way to do entitlement reform and long term spending cuts that's -- way probably in February that -- -- that done it.

I said I might.

Bring people along I I wanna point out to the people watching that you're one of the members of congress during your tenure there even though you -- leaving you returned over one million dollars in -- office funds.

Back to the treasury I don't know -- many members of congress -- do that.

Alford media for being the Florida State grad most my friends are -- but I do wanna ask you are seeing here -- all seriousness decimals vs -- all seriousness.

Congress right now as you -- part.

Has a reputation that is at the bottom I could use all kinds of negative adjectives to describe -- I don't need to tell you.

How does congress get the respect it needs to govern back after this craziness which is still not played out and who gets the blame for.

This.

Well understand that congress is made up of people who have won election in 435.

Districts.

The fifty states -- two senators the -- -- the American people can decide who they're sending to congress.

So these these are duly elected people who represent districts and just because somebody in one district votes a certain way that somebody in and your district doesn't.

-- you lose nothing you're done you lose nothing by speaking truth to the other 434.

Members what would you say to them.

Well I think that we have shown as historically not just this year but over the decades that congress is not good accepted if there's a deadline the -- the fiscal cliff exists.

Is we pushed into the end of the year this Harmonic convergence.

Tax increases and spending cuts that are on palatable.

To force action otherwise congress would never get it done.

And again that speaker Boehner as leverage with the debt ceiling so I think we could do a lot better with that type of people that were electing to congress moving away from the extremes in bringing.

More centrists who can work together and give you a long speech about that.

But when you combine those two things you don't get a great work products.

Congressman Jason all admire you mentioned Harmonic convergence that happens in South Florida you're going to be going to blue cross blue -- up and I think Tallahassee he won't get that there all the best to you sir and congratulations on your service in congress and we wish you -- -- thank you.

Happy new year thank you.

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