Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri says Republicans need to offer more compromise regarding a plan on how to handle raising the debt ceiling.
McCaskill says Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's proposal includes spending cuts larger than the rise in the debt ceiling and no increased taxes.
She says those were the requirements Speaker of the House John Boehner put forward at the start of the debate. But he has come up with his own plan that McCaskill says is similar, but with a catch.
"In fact the only difference is the Reid plan provides certainty for the next year," McCaskill said. "Whereas the Boehner plan says 'let's leave a loaded gun in the middle of the table and do this again in 6 months,' which just doesn't make any sense."
McCaskill says Democrats have agreed to many of the demands made by Republicans, and says it's time Republicans be more flexible as well, as the August 2nd deadline for raising the debt ceiling approaches.
In contrast, Republican Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri says he will likely vote for House Speaker John Boehner's plan.
Boehner's plan calls for linking about $1 trillion in budget cuts in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. It would provide a temporary solution, as another vote would be required before elections next November.
Blunt says it's not a perfect solution, but would work in the short term.
"That may be the most likely way to get both entitlement reform and maybe even an improved tax structure that people have more confidence in," Blunt said. "The question is what happens if you fail to revisit it."
Blunt liked some components of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's plan, but he says Reid is overestimating how much money will be saved, particularly from the winding down of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
