“Now, when it comes to that issue, some of these actions that you could defund, there clearly isn’t, I wouldn’t guess, an appetite in the United States Senate to withhold those funds,” Boehner continued.
Boehner obviously doesn’t understand he doesn’t have to have the permission of the Senate to defund a program or activity. Appropriations bills begin in the House. The Senate can only act on funding approved by the House and sent to the Senate. If the House doesn’t appropriate funds for an activity, the Senate has no power to approve or disapprove what isn’t there. It can only act on the bills it is sent.
To play this game effectively the Republicans need to stop sending the huge omnibus spending bills to the Senate. Send individual appropriations bills for each department, or even major programs. The Senate can either approve or vote down the individual bills. If the Senate votes down the entire appropriations bill for the EPA because the House didn’t include funding for some pet environmental project of Obama’s, the EPA simply is not funded. Boehner and the Republicans need take no action and they can blame the Senate for deliberately voting not to fund the EPA. Trick the Senate into doing same thing with Labor, Education, HUD, Transportation, and HHS and we could make a real dent in the deficit which would be good for America.
Boehner either agrees with the Senate and Obama on spending needs or has no stomach for a fight where the Constitution actually gives the House the upper hand. He is both a poor strategist and horrible leader for an opposition party.
Boner is flaccid...limp. Didn’t this crying yet arrogant degenerate fool take an oath to defend the Constitution. He is a co-conspirator and traitor to his oath. A more feckless majority leader has never before existed.