Van Hollen Says Dems Offer Up-Or-Down Debt Vote
ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) -- Rep. Chris Van Hollen says the congressional impasse over raising the U.S. debt ceiling could be resolved by a simple, up-or-down vote.
The Maryland Democrat, speaking in Rockville, said Monday that if House Republicans aren't willing to take a yes-or-no vote on raising the federal borrowing limit, they should negotiate a solution that doesn't, in his words, "desecrate the Constitution."
Van Hollen says that with House members at a stalemate, he expects the Senate to develop a bipartisan compromise that would allow a majority in Congress to vote against raising the debt ceiling and put the onus for any increase on the president.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)