Debt deal delayed? How a little bit of 'paperwork' slowed Congress down and could make Biden miss a deadline
Fox News
Congress' time-honored traditions and a some "paperwork" have delayed President Biden from signing the debt ceiling deal, with a looming Monday deadline.
The Senate synced up with the House on the debt ceiling bill just before 11 pm ET Thursday night, approving the measure 63-36. Considering the Congressional brinksmanship over the debt ceiling, one might think they would immediately race the bill the 1.6 miles from the Capitol to the White House for the President to sign the legislation into law that night.Not so fast.For starters, the District of Columbia recently reduced the speed limit on many streets from 30 mph to 25 mph. So, don’t get a speeding ticket hauling tail down Pennsylvania Avenue.But the biggest inhibition from racing the bill over to the White House hinges on an important, almost ancient process on Capitol Hill. In fact, the debt ceiling bill remained at the Capitol for hours after the Senate okayed the measure.Nothing nefarious. No incompetence. This "paperwork" exercise is an arcane, but important process which dates back to colonial America. Chad Pergram currently serves as a senior congressional correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.
First of all, the House of Representatives crafted the debt ceiling bill. So, the measure is a "House product." That means that the Senate had to return the bill – without changes – to the House since it was the body of origination. This involves a little more than just stuffing the bill into a manila folder and asking an intern to walk it back across the Capitol Rotunda to the House. The Senate had to first execute some administrative tasks regarding the bill.