WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- House Republicans, seeking a strategy to raise the debt ceiling, worked Monday to reach consensus before members leave Washington midweek, an aide said.
A special meeting of the conference was called Monday during which leaders were expected to present a plan for discussion and could make a final decision based on how members respond, the Hill reported.
One contender is a reversal of the military pension cuts that were part of the bipartisan budget deal reached in December, a senior aide said.
The $17 trillion debt ceiling, held in abeyance as part of the December budget deal, went back into effect Friday. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew warned a possible default could occur Feb. 27 unless Congress acts.
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After it adjourns Wednesday, the House won't be back in session until Feb. 25. To pass debt limit legislation this week, GOP leaders must post a bill online Monday to comply with chamber's three-day layover rules.
If Republicans can't find enough support for a plan during Monday's meeting, they might have to rely on Democratic votes by bringing a no-strings-attached bill that would raise the debt limit to the floor.
House Democrats have advocated passage of a bill that is free from strings. Beyond that, the Democratic-controlled Senate and President Obama also called for a bill focused solely on raising the debt ceiling.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation's main business lobby, called on the House Monday to pass a "timely increase" to the debt ceiling, adding more pressure on Republicans, the Hill said.
The chamber's chief lobbyist, Bruce Josten, said in a letter that hiking the debt limit would erase the threat of default, allow credit markets to function properly and allow the economy to "achieve some long-awaited momentum."
