14 octobre 2013 Senators: Framework for a deal is under discussion By Tom Cohen and Matt Smith, CNN updated 12:00 PM EDT, Mon October 14, 2013 Washington (CNN) -- Possible compromise or more political harrumphing? Senators from both parties negotiating a possible agreement to end the partial government shutdown and avoid a U.S. default this week said Monday they were making progress, and top congressional leaders were headed to the White House later in the afternoon for a meeting with President Barack Obama. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia told CNN the deal was 70% to 80% done, while Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee cited progress in the talks with Manchin and other colleagues from both parties. "I'm more optimistic today at 9:50 (a.m.) than I was at last night when I went to bed," Corker told reporters. However, Manchin and moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who have spearheaded the bipartisan talks, warned more work needs to be done. "We're making progress toward an agreement, but we're not there yet," Collins said. According to Manchin, party leaders must work out vital specifics, signaling the still shaky prospects for completing an agreement before Thursday's deadline for Congress to give the government authority to borrow more money to pay all its bills. The framework under discussion is similar to a plan first floated last week by Manchin and Collins, which Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid initially rejected. It would temporarily fund the government to end the shutdown that started October 1 and also raise the federal borrowing limit for a limited period. At the same time, the proposal would set up House-Senate negotiations on a budget for fiscal year 2014, and delay for two years a tax on medical devices imposed under Obama's signature health care reforms, Manchin said. In another provision involving the 2010 Affordable Care Act known as Obamacare, the proposed compromise would strengthen verification measures for people getting federal subsidies to purchase health insurance. "We're going to continue to meet throughout the day, and the conversations have been very constructive," Collins said. Manchin told CNN's "New Day that Reid and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell "need to put the numbers to it." Early pushback from conservatives focuses on the budget talks, which would include flexibility to soften or eliminate forced spending cuts known as sequestration that were part of the agreement that resolved the last congressional showdown over the debt ceiling in 2011. Corker said Democrats have retreated from a weekend push for the deal to wipe out the sequestration cuts, signaling progress on an issue that could have derailed agreement by both the Democratic-led Senate and the Republican-led House. CNN political analyst John Avlon said Monday that Democrats wanted to press what they perceive as an advantage over Republicans on how the public is perceiving the latest round of Washington budget and deficit brinksmanship. "What's behind it (are) poll numbers that saw Republicans getting their butt kicked because of this whole gamesmanship," Avlon said. Manchin said the brinksmanship was a chance to address what he called the "draconian cuts" of sequestration. A new round of the across-the-board spending cuts for the military and other non-entitlement programs takes effect on January 15, he said. As reported by CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash and CNN Senior White House Correspondent Jim Acosta, the main sticking point for now involves how long an agreement would fund the government to end the shutdown and increase the debt limit to enable required federal borrowing. Democrats want the debt ceiling increase to extend through the November 2014 congressional elections to avoid similar showdowns in coming months. At the same time, they seek a temporary spending plan to reopen the government while formal budget negotiations work out a longer-term agreement that can negate the impacts of the forced sequestration cuts. Republicans, however, want a longer spending proposal that would lock in the planned sequestration cuts in coming months, with a shorter debt ceiling extension in order to negotiate further deficit-reduction measures. Reid and McConnell along with other top senators began discussions over the weekend. The Senate will meet again Monday at 2 p.m. ET, while the House comes back into session at noon ET. The White House said Obama would meet with the top Republican and Democratic congressional leaders at 3 p.m. Mindful that U.S. and world markets were closely watching the political drama, senators from both parties expressed optimism a deal was in reach. "I believe we can do it," Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I hope sensible people prevail, because at this point, it's not just a shutdown and all of the damage it's caused, but if we default on our debt, it will have a dramatic impact on the savings account, on the retirement account of average Americans."
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