GOP leaders urge colleagues to vote no on Stimulus

From CNN Congressional Producer Deirdre Walsh

Jan. 27, 2009

(CNN) – House Republican Leader John Boehner and House Republican Whip Eric Cantor urged members to vote no on the House Democrats' stimulus bill Wednesday, unless there are some changes.

One Republican aide said, “Boehner thinks the only way we're going to get a better bill out of the Senate is by showing as much solidarity as possible in opposition to this.”

Another aide said Rep. Cantor told his fellow Republicans that based on the information in the House bill there is “no reason to vote for it, he’s voting against it, and we’ll be whipping against it.”

Rep. Cantor “made the case we want 100 percent against," the aide also said.

This aide added there were loud cheers in the room when the message was delivered, and said at this point you could probably count on your fingers the number of House Republicans who will vote for the bill tomorrow.

Cantor and his economic working group are meeting later Tuseady to figure out a Republican alternative, but it will likely be defeated easily on the floor.

The GOP leaders also told the rank and file members, “This is a bad bill, you can explain why it's a bad bill. We can do the most good by standing together against it unless there are changes.”

Asked if the GOP leaders decided on specific changes to present to President Obama today, a second GOP aide said, “We have no negotiating position until someone starts negotiating. If the president is coming to negotiate, maybe we’ll have something to discuss, but we'll see.”