holding hands
Congressman Dave Reichert says members of Congress joined hands in prayer during the fiscal cliff agreement negotiations. (AP Photo/file)

Congress joins hands, prays to get through fiscal cliff; but more issues looming

BY Jamie Skorheim  on January 2, 2013 @ 12:38 pm (Updated: 10:55 am - 1/25/13 )

Congress' excruciating, extraordinary New Year's Day approval of a compromise averting a prolonged tumble off the fiscal cliff went down to the twelfth hour and had some members clasping hands in prayer says Washington Congressman Dave Reichert.

"There was a moment where one member stood up and asked us to say the Lord's Prayer and hold hands and we did," Reichert tells KIRO Radio's Ross and Burbank Show.

Reichert says he's truly excited they came to an agreement. But many say the passage also lays the groundwork for future battles between the two sides over federal spending and debt.

The deal reached in Congress, which President Barack Obama plans to sign quickly, blocked big income tax increases on most Americans. But it extended the deadline for deep mandatory spending cuts for only two months. And it did nothing to deal with raising the nation's borrowing limit, despite Obama's request.

The debt limit, set by Congress, is now $14.3 trillion, a ceiling the government officially hit on Monday.

The Treasury Department says it will take "extraordinary measures" to keep paying the government's bills, but only until sometime in February or March.

"The debt ceiling and the spending questions will both come together in a couple of months," says Reichert.

Before returning to Hawaii for vacation, Obama warned Republicans against using a vote on the debt ceiling to try to win concessions on spending cuts. He asserted he wouldn't negotiate "with Congress over whether or not they should pay the bills they've already racked up through the laws they have passed."

"The debt ceiling discussion could be one of the leverages that is used if the president doesn't want to come to the table and talk about spending," which Reichert says is the real issue. "Hopefully the president and congress can come together."

"I heard him [President Obama] say over the past couple of days that he is open to discussing reform in Medicare, social security and spending, and if he does that then we aren't going to have this serious end of the twelfth hour discussion relating to the debt ceiling and spending."

Reichert says working in a divided government can sometimes be frustrating, but it's the way our founding fathers designed it, "to keep the checks and balances."

"My position has always been we need to work together," says Reichert. "This is about America. It's about the hard working people in America and we better get past this political crap to put it bluntly and find some solutions to the problems that we face get this country back on track."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

You might also be interested in:

Dave Ross Commentary: It's like a fairy tale!

Jamie Skorheim, MyNorthwest.com Editor
Whether it's floating on Green Lake, eating shrimp tacos at Agua Verde, or taking weekend drives out to the Cascades, she loves to enjoy the Pacific Northwest lifestyle as much as humanly possible.
More Local News
Top Stories

  • Sopranos Star Dies at 51
    James Gandolfini, the actor famous for "The Sopranos", died suddenly in Italy

  • More to the Story
    Liberace's ex-lover says the world will hear more of his story, and Michael Jackson's in there

  • A Skeptic's Doubts
    An ESPN columnist doubts Russell Wilson will ever be elite
MyNorthwest.com - Purpose of Comments statement
Bonneville Media encourages site users to express their opinions by posting comments. Our goal is to maintain a civil dialogue in which readers feel comfortable. At times, the comments can descend to personal attacks. Please do not engage in such behavior. We encourage your thoughtful comments which: have a positive and constructive tone, are on topic, are respectful toward others and their opinions. Bonneville reserves the right to remove comments which do not conform to these criteria.

Comments (21)


  • Add A Comment

  • soo purletiv wrote...
    I just hope
    January 2, 2013 1:59 pm
    that the same god who talked to the gay bishop was not the one congress invoked here...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • soo purletiv wrote...
    And I agree
    January 2, 2013 2:00 pm
    CH should always be listened to and paid close attention to.

    He is my hero, of sorts...

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Cameron wrote...
    Good thing for some posting here that ...
    January 2, 2013 2:41 pm
    Obama care is going to mandate Mental Health coverage.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • William Lawn wrote...
    Aww ain't that sweet
    January 2, 2013 3:26 pm
    The combover king holds hands and prays.

    Could it get any sillier?

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Padre wrote...
    Congressmen praying...
    January 2, 2013 3:56 pm
    That's your big hook, eh, Ms. Griswold. Without setting up too much of a strawman, are you trying to imply that the GOP was relying on divine intervention to solve the fiscal cliff issue? Really, why exactly beef up this rather trivial and inconsequential point of praying and use it as a lead-in? I'd wait for a reply but assume one won't be forthcoming. I think I'll chalk it up to lazy and shoddy journalism, tinged with a bit of soft religious persecution (read: praying is for the dumb/foolish).
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Saltchucker wrote...
    What happened to
    January 2, 2013 5:04 pm
    Seperation of Church and State?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Forrest wrote...
    Praying is just the same as doing nothing...
    January 2, 2013 6:38 pm
    That's why this is a do nothing congress.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Forrest wrote...
    It's just like praying for the victims of hurricane Sandy...
    January 2, 2013 6:44 pm
    It's accomplished nothing. All praying does is make a superstitious morons feel good about themselves. "Oh your house was blown away, I'll pray for you". It won't do you a bit of good but I'll feel like I really did something special something. I prayed for you.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Forrest wrote...
    Republicans praying while people suffer. Jesus would be proud of the GOP!
    January 2, 2013 6:55 pm
    In an emotional interview with CNN, King pointed a finger directly at House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) for the failure to bring Sandy aid up for a vote after passing a bill to avert the so-called fiscal cliff. “Boehner is the one,” the New York Republican explained. “He walked off the floor. He refused to tell us why. He refused to give us any indication or warning whatsoever… I’m just saying, these people have no problem finding New York — these Republicans — when they’re trying to raise money. They raise millions of dollars in New York City and New Jersey, they sent Gov. [Chris] Christie around the country raising millions of dollars for them. I’m saying, anyone from New York and New Jersey who contributes one penny to the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee should have their head examined. I would not give one penny to these people based on what they did to us last night.”

    www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/01/02/peter-king-near-tears-threatens-to-quit-republican-party-for-blocking-sandy-relief/

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • C"mon Man wrote...
    Freedom of speech
    January 2, 2013 7:27 pm
    I think it is great!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }