Cantor: Dems Caved on Sequestration

Memo sent to encourage GOP votes for FAA fixes

In advance of Friday's vote on a bill to ameliorate sequester-induced airport delays, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) sought to sell Republican members on the legislation by describing it as a total surrender by the White House and Democrats.

It succeeded. The chamber voted 361-41 to pass it, giving the Federal Aviation Administration flexibility to shift resources in order to mitigate airport delays. The bill, having already cleared the Senate, will go to President Obama's desk for his signature.

Cantor's memo Friday morning, passed along to TPM by a leadership source, cited headlines about Democrats "blink[ing]" first in the FAA delays battle and the White House "scrambl[ing] for damage control." It also quoted a tweet by Roll Call reporter Steven Dennis calling the legislation "a complete, utter cave by Senate Democrats and, if signed, by the White House."