Is This Why Republicans Can’t Make A Debt Deal?

Republican leaders are calling for a “clean” debt increase bill.

“While some have advocated for a ‘clean’ debt limit increase, this would simply increase the borrowing authority of the government while irresponsibly ignoring the urgency of reforms,” Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), the chairman of the Republican Study Group, wrote in a letter to Ryan.

Something not mentioned is that a “clean” increase would leave out the Rohrabacher–Farr amendment.

The Rohrabacher–Farr amendment (also known as the Rohrabacher–Blumenauer amendment) is legislation first introduced by U.S. Reps. Maurice Hinchey, Dana Rohrabacher, and Sam Farr in 2003, prohibiting the Justice Department from spending funds to interfere with the implementation of state medical marijuana laws. It passed the House in May 2014 after six previously failed attempts, becoming law in December 2014 as part of an omnibus spending bill.

A “clean” spending bill could include no such amendment. But there seems to be quite a bit of opposition to that. Some of it coming from Rep. Rohrabacher (R), CA.

At a Wednesday morning closed-door briefing of House Republicans, California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R) implored his GOP colleagues to press House leaders to allow a vote on his amendment.

Fellow Californian Rep. Duncan Hunter told The Hill that after Rohrabacher “talked about it this morning in conference,” GOP leaders said “it splits the conference too much so we’re not going to have a vote on it.”

Rohrabacher had pled with his colleagues in a Tuesday night floor speech to allow the vote.

“The status quo for four years has been the federal government will not interfere because the Department of Justice is not permitted to use its resources to supercede a state that has legalized the medical use of marijuana,” Rohrabacher said.

What would a war on medical cannabis mean for the GOP? Disaster. In Florida med pot got 71% of the vote. Trump got 49%. Other States that voted for Med Pot and Trump in 2016 are North Dakota, Arkansas, and Montana. All together there are 46 States that have some kind of medical cannabis law.

Obviously there is quite a bit of money riding on the continuation of Prohibition. Unfortunately for politicians there is quite a bit of sentiment against it. The people who buy politicians and those who vote for them are at odds. This can last a while or disappear over night.

I’d like to see the issue break into open warfare. That would speed the resolution. IMO.