LaMalfa votes for House debt ceiling bill

The north state's Rep. Doug LaMalfa today voted in favor of a bill that would temporarily raise the debt ceiling while setting up a springtime debate over taxes, spending and the deficit.

As the AP reported via CapitalPress.com:

The measure would suspend the $16.4 trillion cap on federal borrowing and reset it on May 19 to reflect the additional borrowing required between the date the bill becomes law and then. The amount of borrowing required depends on the tax receipts received during filing season, but over a comparable period last year the government ran deficits in the range of $150 billion.

The measure also contains a provision that slaps at the Senate, which hasn't debated a budget since 2009, by withholding the pay for either House or Senate members if the chamber in which they serve fails to pass a budget plan. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., announced Wednesday that the chamber would indeed debate a budget this year but maintained the GOP's "no budget, no pay" move had nothing to do with the decision.

Today's measure passed 285 to 144, with 86 Democrats bucking their party's leadership and voting yes.