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Sen. Brown Says He'd Support Reid's Debt Plan

File photo, Sen. Scott Brown (AP)
File photo, Sen. Scott Brown (AP)

The only Republican in the Massachusetts congressional delegation is supporting a Democratic plan to raise the debt ceiling.

Sen. Scott Brown told WBUR's Monica Brady-Myerov in Washington on Friday that he would vote in favor of the proposal offered by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, should Reid bring it to the floor.

Brown said the proposal may not go as far to address the nation's debt as many Republicans want, but it's a good first step.

Brown, who for days has said his congressional colleagues need to work across the aisle to resolve the debt ceiling impasse, also indicated he would vote in favor of House Speaker John Boehner's legislation, should that come up for a vote in his chamber.

The Massachusetts Republican also told Brady-Myerov that he sensed President Obama's frustration on the contentious negotiations. In an address Friday morning, Obama said there are "plenty of ways" to amend the plans of Reid and Boehner to forge compromise.

Boehner reworked his plan Friday to add a balanced budget amendment, in an attempt to garner enough votes from his Republican caucus to pass the House.

Boehner's measure passed in the House but failed in the Senate.

Update at 4:35 p.m.: Colin Reed, Brown's spokesman, reiterates Brown's position in a statement:

We are days away from default. Senator Brown will support a bill that contains spending cuts and doesn't increase taxes and allows us to avoid default. That could be a Republican bill, or a Democrat bill - it doesn't matter. He believes we need to set aside our party loyalties and get the job done for the people we represent.

This program aired on July 29, 2011. The audio for this program is not available.

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