Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said he expects the House-passed budget agreement between Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) to pass the Senate, despite some signs of GOP opposition.
“Well, I would think it would,” he told Bloomberg’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt” in an interview set to air Friday night. “I think it would be suicide if the Republicans didn’t pass it. Here is one of the agreements that is a landmark agreement, not because of the massive size of it, but because what it does to the Congress or for the Congress and for the American people.”
The chamber is set to bring up the bill on Tuesday. Reid said he’s confident the Democratic caucus will be united in favor of it. But Republicans?
“That’s up to them if — it would be political suicide” for them if they don’t vote for it, he said.
Reid used the term a third time in the interview, when asked if he expects Republicans to make an issue of the debt ceiling when it comes up again next year.
“Well, we talked here about they’re committing suicide by not passing the budget, and it will be double suicide to default on the debt. I don’t think they’ll do either,” he said.
The Democratic leader also insisted that filibuster reform will be permanent and there’s no going back.
“People talk about this filibuster as if it were something that’s next to the Ten Commandments,” he said. “The filibuster is not part of the Constitution, and it was developed originally to help get legislation passed.”
