House Vote Is Set On Compromise To Prevent Government Shutdown
The measure, which would keep the federal government functioning until March 18, funds most programs at their current level. It does, however, trim $4 billion by targeting certain programs - but the health law is not "de-funded" in this plan. Still, governors are uneasy about the impact likely federal spending reductions will have on their budgets.
The Associated Press: GOP Hopefuls Cheer For A Spending Showdown
Easy for them to say: Cut spending, no matter what. Don't let the government borrow any more. Shut it down if you have to. While the cast of potential White House contenders tells Congress to get tough, drawing lines in the sand is risky for lawmakers who have to live with the consequences (Elliot, 2/28).
Bloomberg: U.S. House To Vote On Stopgap Budget Bill To Prevent Government Shutdown
The Republican proposal, designed as a compromise with Senate Democrats, would cut $4 billion by targeting a handful of programs while keeping almost all agencies at current spending levels until March 18. Failure to enact a measure by March 4, when current spending authority ends, would force the government to close. Republican Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, founder of the House Tea Party Caucus, said she hadn't decided whether to support the bill, largely because it wouldn't defund the health-care overhaul passed last year (Faler and Lerer, 3/1).
National Journal: Democratic - And Republican - Governors Are Worried About Federal Cuts
As Congress returned today for a budget fight that appears to divide lawmakers along purely partisan lines, the nation's governors voiced bipartisan concern over the effect that proposed budget cuts - and ballooning health care costs - will have on their states. In Washington for the annual winter meeting of the National Governors Association, the states' chief executives took their concerns to the White House today. ... The problems governors are facing cross party lines, many of them said. Even some of the most conservative state leaders were worried about the budget cuts being championed in Congress. "These are difficult times," Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) said. "We know that the federal government is under extreme pressure, and we know that when they get under extreme pressure, they push it right down to us at the state level" (Joseph, 2/28).
