Rep. Jeff Landry helped win changes in House deficit-reduction plan
by Bruce Alpert - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

The Republican-led House narrowly approved Speaker John Boehner's deficit reduction plan Friday, but only after he met conservative demands that it require Congress to approve a balanced budget amendment. The measure was quickly tabled 59-41 by the Senate, however, setting up a weekend of more high-stakes political wrangling with a Tuesday deadline looming on a federal debt default. The Boehner legislation was approved in the House 218-210, less than 24 hours after tea party members in the GOP had rebelled. The revolt forced the speaker to revise his bill, which ties an increase in the debt limit to cuts in spending and congressional passage of a constitutional amendment requiring future budgets without deficits. After hours of talks with 20 tea party conservatives, including Rep. Jeff Landry, R-New Iberia, Boehner agreed to require House and Senate approval of the balanced budget amendment before Congress may enact a second increase in the debt limit. His original bill required only a vote in the House and Senate on the balanced budget amendment, not a positive outcome. "I wanted something that is going to fix the problem, and this is it," Landry said. Landry said he isn't deterred by Democratic statements that the measure won't pass the Senate. All six Louisiana House Republicans voted for the bill. Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, joined all Democrats in voting no, as did 22 Republicans, including 11 freshman.