Lindsey Graham: No Debt Deal Without House GOP Support

FILE – In this Dec. 21, 2012, file photo Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks during a Capitol Hill news conference in Washington about the investigation of the deadly Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Sunday that no Senate Republicans would vote to advance a government spending/debt-limit increase bill that replaces the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration, which Senate Democrats are reportedly considering.

“I don’t see one,” Graham said on ABC’s “This Week” when asked if there was an emerging deal. “If you break the spending caps, you’re not going to get any Republicans in the Senate.”

Graham suggested that such a deal would damage House Speaker John Boehner’s position by putting pressure on him to pass a bill with significant Democratic votes.

“Here’s what I’m worried about a deal coming out of the Senate, that a majority of Republicans can’t vote for in the House, that really does compromise Speaker Boehner’s leadership,” Graham said. “And after all this mess is over, do we really want to compromise John Boehner as leader of the House?  I don’t think so.”

“So I’m not going to vote for any plan that I don’t think can get a majority of Republicans in the House, understanding that defunding Obamacare and delaying for a year is not a realistic possibility now.”

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