Today in fiscal-cliff news, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sounded downbeat on a resolution by year’s end while attacking House Speaker John Boehner. Still, The House will be back in session on Sunday and President Obama will reportedly meet with congressional leaders on Friday amid reports of a new tax proposal from the White House. Meanwhile, Starbucks baristas only sporadically scrawled “come together,” on coffee cups, disappointing many.
House Will Come Back on Sunday
[Politico, 12/27/12] The House will be back in session on Sunday, the day before the fiscal-cliff deadline, Boehner announced in a conference call with Republican members on Thursday, at the same time saying he's not interested in passing a bill with "mostly Democrat" votes.
Obama Reaches out to Congressional Leaders on Fiscal-Cliff Talks
[Washington Post, 12/27/12] President Obama phoned congressional leaders from Hawaii before returning to Washington on Thursday and will reportedly meet with the same group on Friday. Meanwhile, Harry Reid attacked Boehner Thursday while saying that a deal ahead of the deadline was looking less likely.
Sources: Obama May Send Fiscal-Cliff Tax Details to Congress on Thursday
[CNN, 12/27/12] Two Capitol Hill sources tell CNN that Obama informed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell that he would send Congress a revised cliff proposal on Thursday, an assertion also made on social media by Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass. But White House officials say Obama will not be sending any such proposal.
What Happens if We Go Over the Fiscal Cliff?
[National Journal, 12/27/12] With a mere four days to go until the deadline, hopes are waning that the nation’s leaders will be able to avert the fiscal cliff. National Journal has a refresher course on exactly what going over the cliff would mean over the next year and in the long term.
Three Questions as the Cliff Nears
[Wall Street Journal, 12/27/12] Gerald Seib games out a last-minute, short-term solution to the cliff in the Senate. And be sure to check out The Journal’s Interactive graphic: “Make Your Own Deficit-Reduction Plan.”
Analysis: Fiscal Cliff’s Greatest Threat Is to American Unity
[National Journal, 12/27/12] The real issue in the frantic final flailing over the fiscal cliff isn’t whether Washington can balance its books, writes NJ’s Ronald Brownstein. It’s whether blue America and red America are capable of, or even interested in, mediating their differences.
The Dems' Terrible Fallback Plan for the Fiscal Cliff
[The Atlantic, 12/26/12] Matthew O’Brien argues that the Senate’s fallback plan currently being discussed leaves out a number of big-ticket items, including the payroll-tax cut, unemployment insurance, sequester cuts, and the doc fix.
Starbucks 'Come Together' Message Doesn't Solve Fiscal-Cliff Crisis
[BuzzFeed, 12/27/12] Apparently, some baristas in the Washington area are not heeding Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz’s decree to write “Come Together” on customers’ cups, leaving many feeling jilted.
Crawling to the Cliff?
[New York Times, 12/27/12] Jonathan Weisman explains that even if Harry Reid moved on legislation to extend some of the Bush-era tax breaks today, the earliest possible vote on final passage would be Jan. 1.
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