Posted on 04/05/2011 8:15:15 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
House Republicans are preparing a third short-term spending resolution in the event that a long-term compromise cannot be reached with Senate Democrats and the White House before April 8, GOP aides confirm. That scenario suddenly looks a lot more likely after a tense back-and-forth Monday between leaders on both sides of the debate. The measure would last for one week, cut $12 billion in domestic discretionary spending, but would include funding for the Defense Department until the end of the current fiscal year (September 30).
GOP leaders are also distributing pamphlets instructing members on how to prepare for a government shutdown, making sure they are ready for all possible scenarios.
Following a Republican conference meeting Monday night, House Appropriations Committee chairman Hal Rogers (R., Ky.) accused Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) of negotiating in bad faith and placed the blame for the recent breakdown in negotiations squarely at Reid’s feet, alleging that the Senate leader had abruptly told Democratic negotiators to cease negotiating over the weekend. “We made good progress Saturday, but come Sunday things just stopped,” Rogers said.
Several members expressed concern that Senate Democrats were angling for a government shutdown. “That’s the only possible interpretations of [Reid's] actions,” said Rep. Mike Simpson (R., Idaho), a senior member of the Appropriations Committee. “We’re doing everything we can to avoid a government shutdown. If the government shuts down it will be because Harry Reid refuses to sit and negotiate in good faith…it’ll be because that’s what they want.”
More details to come.
UPDATE: Boehner’s office confirms that tomorrow Rep. Dan Lungren (R., Calif.), chairman of the House Administration Committee, will formally issue guidance to all members as to how the House would function in the event of a government shutdown.
“The discussion with Democrats will continue, but the House has an obligation to be ready if the White House and Senate Democrats choose to shut down the government,” an aide said.
Additionally, the House Appropriations Committee will post online later tonight the text of the short-term continuing resolution described above.
“We hope the White House and Senate Democrats will get serious about making real spending cuts on a long-term bill,” the aide said, “but this measure provides us with an option if House Republicans choose to use it.”
Multiple sources also tell us that Paul Ryan’s 2012 budget — due out Tuesday morning — was frequently brought up in conversations among members, in order to point out that the real fight over federal spending and the size of government has yet to begin.
UPDATE II: The House Appropriations Committee has posted information about the new continuing resolution here. In a statement, chairman Rogers lays into Harry Reid for holding up negotiations on a long-term deal, saying “we cannot let the unruly actions of one person cause a government-wide shutdown.”
“My Committee has worked diligently and fervently to negotiate with the Senate on final agreement for funding the government for the rest of the fiscal year,” Rogers said. “However, at nearly every turn, these negotiations have been blocked by Senate Majority Leader Reid.”
“Leader Reid has attempted to abuse the budget process to conceal additional spending through phony offsets and gimmicks. He has proposed damaging cuts to national defense to pay for lower-priority domestic programs. He has prohibited the involvement of his own Democrat Senators in negotiations. And, he has dictated that all policy provisions and legislative language be cleared through him and him alone – destroying the ability of negotiators to continue in their work.”
As stated previously, the resolution includes funding for the Defense Department through September 30, while funding other government operations for another week, cutting spending by $12 billion. On an annualized basis, this would yield nearly half a trillion dollars in savings. All of the cuts were included in the House-passed spending bill, H.R. 1, and many were also included in either President Obama’s budget request for 2012 or the Senate Democrats’ alternative proposal.
The one-week CR also includes a minor provision that might be classified as a “policy rider,” prohibiting “both federal and local funds from being used to provide abortions in the District of Columbia.”
More here.
This is another shrewd move from Boehner. It places the ball squarely in the Democrats’ court and gives him additional leverage heading into Tuesday’s meeting at the White House. That is, of course, assuming he can limit the number of defections — in the event that the bill must be passed — among members who pledged not to support another short-term spending bill. But it remains to be seen if that will even be necessary. Would Democrats really be willing to shut the government down over $12 billion?
This would be far better accepting a meaningless $33B reduction in spending.
Know what? They can and will....
And it will work!
Mike
Well, Mike. I guess we just may as well give up, eh?
I just heard the WH told Boehner that they will NOT agree to a CR.
The Gov is going to shut down. Now it is a game of chicken.
Maybe they could do this every week and make a 12 billion dollar reduction each week until the dems cry uncle. Might just work!!
Your logic is sound — the Republican leadership continues to do a terrible job of getting their message out ... it’s not just the problem of the MSM, either.
Shut. It. Down.
Colonel, USAFR
“CR”= caving republicans
OK, anyone want to predict who will blink first?
Nonsense, I hear what they're trying to do every day.
$12 B for this one week CR is $500 B annualized. They haven't passed a CR yet without a cut on what SHOULD have been a Dem budget. Good for them.
Even on FR the GOP is slammed for cutting. And Ryan's plan to cut $5 Trillion is regularly trashed here. Talk about stabbing your ally in the back. Sheesh.
$500 B annualized is caving?
According to Fox news at 11:15 their yelow bannered alert read as
Sources Tell Fox News That the White House Won’t Except GOP’s Short-Term Spending Bill
I would ACCEPT their explanation if can only EXCEPT their proofreader from grammatical correctness.
They are doing terrible on the messaging. They need 2-3 guys out on every show every day with a clear defined message. It seems like they are pulling a ‘Bush’ and focusing on their work hoping everyone appreciates their effort and coming along for the ride. The Dems are playing politics 100% of the time. It is on every channel, every type of show - talk shows, comedy, late night, etc.
ALL of TV support Hussein and the Dems including Fox. It is ALL Obama Tv.
If the Dems are really OK to play the shutdown card, I guess they have internal polls are over confidence in the media that they will be seen as the righteous. I just don’t think so - I think it could backfire.
But the Republicans do need to tie the current inflation to dollar devaluation. i.e. very plain terms - no control on spending = $10 gallon gasoline, etc., etc. Marco Rubio is doing a good job at communicating this.
Yet when the GOP does play politics, I hear it regularly said here that they should NOT play politics but stick to principle.
Seems the GOP House cannot win here on FR which is becoming increasingly fickle.
Mike
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