“Florida isn’t going to pay for any primary,” said Rep. Alcee Hastings, dean of Florida’s Democratic delegation in the House. “That’s pure fiction.”

Hastings said Florida has barely enough money to pay for a litany of needed social services.

Members of the Florida and Michigan delegations held a meeting Wednesday evening to plot their course. They say they have begun to craft a counterproposal to present Dean but have declined to reveal any details.   

State and national party officials could forge a deal with Clinton and Obama to strip Florida of only half its delegates, a penalty the Republican National Committee imposed on Florida because it scheduled its primary earlier than GOP rules allowed. Obama might agree to such a proposal because it would likely preserve his delegate lead.

But this solution could not be easily applied to Michigan because Obama did not appear on that state’s ballot in January. On Thursday, some lawmakers floated the possibility of holding a caucus in Michigan, which would be cheaper than holding another primary.

Rep. John Conyers Jr., the dean of Michigan’s Democratic delegation, said he expected four representatives from his state and Florida would meet with Dean “soon” to discuss a compromise.  

He said it may be possible to bring in a third party to mediate the dispute but declined to reveal who may be able to serve as a fair broker.

 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has declined to step in the middle.

“That’s up to the DNC,” Reid said.

Schumer, who is a Clinton backer,  and Van Hollen, who is neutral, said the dilemma poses too much political danger to remain unsolved.

“My view is at some point you’re going to have to have Howard Dean, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton sit in a room and come up with a process that each side buys into before there’s an outcome,” Schumer said, urging for a resolution before the nomination is effectively decided.