Pence rejects Leadership compromise on Budget

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) yesterday rejected leadership’s compromise on the budget as Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) vowed to pass a bill soon, creating the potential for a showdown on the House floor.

Pence, the chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), on Tuesday afternoon left a meeting with Blunt, Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Reps. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) without accepting any of leadership’s three compromise measures on the budget.

Pence’s rejection of the measures could imperil a House budget resolution, as Blunt and his whip organization work to secure the votes necessary to pass one by the end of this week.

After the meeting, Blunt remained committed to passing a resolution this year, an aide said, which could mean keeping members in Washington during the recess or forcing the House to revisit the bill when members return from Easter break. In addition, whip aides disputed the notion that this is a widespread conservative revolt against the budget and said Pence was largely speaking for himself on the issue. The question remains, though, if leadership has the votes to pass a resolution.

The latest whip notice says the House will possibly vote on the budget later this week.

The aide to an RSC member who is close to the talks said Pence had the votes to defeat the budget measure and would remain committed to defeating any bill that does not include his point-of-order provision allowing any member to force a vote on spending bills that run counter to the budget outlines.

“What chairman Pence and the RSC are seeking to do is enforce the budget,” the aide said. “What we’re asking for is one small step on the way to fiscal discipline.”

The aide said Pence would consider any compromise that is a “meaningful reform to enforce the budget.”

The meeting Tuesday marks a particularly contentious turn in leadership’s negotiations with Pence. The standoff could ultimately be decided during a floor vote, with all eyes on Kirk, who has stood with Pence but has not been as vocal in his opposition to the bill. Kirk would not tell reporters before yesterday’s meeting how he would vote on the bill.

Among the compromises offered by leadership was the creation of a new rule forcing the Rules Committee to explain the cost of pending legislation that would bust the budget.

“Congressman Pence appears to no longer be focused on [the RSC],” a House GOP leadership aide said. “This is now isolated to Pence and a handful of members.”

The Hill reported yesterday that, at an RSC meeting last week, 18 members indicated they were willing to defy House leaders by voting against the budget. Some claim that the total number of House Republicans who object to the budget is in the mid-20s.

Few if any Democrats are expected to support the GOP plan. The budget bill is unlikely to hit the floor unless the number of defectors is below 20.

(another piece of the puzzle)

A show of hands on budget
By Bob Cusack
Before Rep. Mike Pence asked his conservative colleagues to signal whether they were ready to defy House Republican leaders by voting against the budget, he warned them.

Pence (R-Ind.), seeking an accurate whip count, told members of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) last week that GOP leaders would apply significant pressure to back the budget and were likely to dangle enticing legislative promises in exchange for a yes vote.

Then Pence asked RSC members for a show of hands. Eighteen members, including freshman Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), signaled that they are committed to voting against the House budget plan if it does not include spending reforms.

Based on the budget votes in 2003 and 2004, 18 defectors would kill the spending blueprint crafted by House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle (R-Iowa).

The 18-member count could be especially troubling for House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) because some RSC lawmakers did not attend last Wednesday’s meeting. And while certain members of the centrist Tuesday Group were present during the RSC strategy session, many were not. It is estimated that the number of members in the Tuesday Group and the RSC who are against the budget is in the mid-20s. The two groups, which have formed an alliance, represent about 120 lawmakers.

Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and a top GOP strategist, has sided with the RSC, calling its reform plan “useful and helpful.”

One of the intriguing aspects of the Wednesday RSC meeting was that a key member of the Republican leadership was in the room. House Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.), an RSC member, listened to criticisms of leadership and actually did some whipping in a side conversation.

“It was very awkward,” a person in the room said.
The showdown between the RSC and the House leadership on the budget has a lot riding on it. While the numbers suggest that the RSC is winning the battle right now, many on Capitol Hill say leadership is the favorite, pointing to its impressive record on close votes. Those sources point out that the RSC has a track record of folding under pressure.

Because of that, some aides say the RSC’s credibility is at stake. Unless the RSC makes leadership blink or takes down the budget, the group’s future threats will not be taken seriously, they add.
The House is scheduled to vote on the budget later this week.

The RSC and the Tuesday Group are rallying against the leadership’s plan, arguing that it’s unenforceable because it does nothing to curtail House leaders’ power to waive budget rules for legislation that violates the budget. In a March 10 e-mail to RSC members and staff, RSC Executive Director Sheila Cole said, “If the majority passes the budget, the majority should be able to defend it. We pass it, we should enforce it. It’s as simple as that.”

In that e-mail, Cole explained that the RSC, in part because the text of the budget was unavailable, advised members last Tuesday to whip “undecided” or “leaning no” on the budget.
The RSC leaders last week watered down their proposed budget reforms. Instead of requiring a three-fifths majority vote of the House to waive budget rules, the reform would require a majority vote.

The RSC has previously vowed to stand firm against the leadership on spending plans but later backed down or settled for minor compromises. However, there are indications that this time could be different.

Pence has succeeded Rep. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.) as head of the RSC. Pence is considered more conservative than Myrick, who voted for the final Medicare prescription-drug bill. Pence led the effort to take down that bill, which is expected to cost more than $7 trillion over the next 75 years.

Perhaps more important, the RSC is getting more organized. The group has organized its own whip team, with Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) taking the lead. Until now, the RSC has had only an informal whip operation.

A Garrett staffer said a whip team was “an obvious missing component” of a group whose membership is on the rise.

Based on the past two budgets to hit the floor, leadership cannot expect much, if any, help from Democrats. In both 2003 and 2004, the House budget cleared 215-212. The only Democrat to support the GOP budget was Rep. Ralph Hall (Texas), who has since become a Republican.

With this budget plan stingier than the past two, each vote will matter. Republican leaders may be forced to court lawmakers they rebuffed a couple of months ago. For instance, House leadership opted to remove Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.) as chairman of the ethics committee and took the gavel of Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who used to head the Veterans Affairs Committee.

The leadership also stripped Rep. Ernest Istook (R-Okla.) of his cardinal status as punishment for attempting last year to dump transportation projects in 21 GOP congressional districts.

Hefley has voted against the budget the past two years, while Smith voted against the spending measure last year. Istook supported the budget in 2003 and 2004.

Twelve Republicans rejected the House budget in 2003, and 10 Republicans bucked leadership on the budget last year. In addition to Hefley, Reps. Ron Paul (Texas), Mike Castle (Del.) and John Hostettler (Ind.) were the other Republicans to vote against the budget the past two years.

This year’s budget could attract more opposition because of its spending provisions on veterans issues and Medicaid.

Another ominous sign for leadership is that in 2003 and 2004 more Democrats missed the budget roll call than Republicans.

However, Capitol Hill sources note that Republican leaders seem always to find a way to win. And their argument against the RSC could resonate — GOP leaders say the RSC’s budget reforms would significantly increase the power of House Democrats.

Furthermore, there are more Republicans in the House than last year and leadership has key people in important positions who could make the difference.

Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.), a former RSC chairman and now Policy Committee chairman, told The Hill last month that “it’s my duty to support” the will of House leaders above his own political preferences. Shadegg, whose congressional website hosts information about the RSC, attended last week’s RSC meeting.

Shadegg and Cantor are not the only connection leadership has with RSC members. Neil Bradley, former executive director of the RSC, now works for House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).

http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/031505/budget.html

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