For nearly a month, House Republican leaders said they expected about $1.5 trillion in spending cuts in exchange for a debt-ceiling increase. As of Friday, they presented an entirely different demand: the GOP wants Senate Democrats to draft a budget blueprint for the first time in a long while.
With this mind, I imagine Republicans were at least relatively pleased with what they heard from Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on "Meet the Press" yesterday.
Schumer actually made a little news on the program, announcing that Senate Democrats will not only move forward on a budget plan -- he said "it's going to be a great opportunity for us" -- he added that the caucus has "always intended to do a budget this year." In other words, they're not doing this because the House GOP asked for it; they were prepared to write a budget blueprint anyway.
In fact, Schumer sounded rather ambitious on this front, talking up a budget plan that will include tax reform and new revenues, while addressing looming sequestration cuts, all in advance of the March 1 deadline.
And what about the 60-vote threshold Senate Republicans apply to just about everything? It won't matter -- under budget reconciliation rules, the plan would not be subject to a filibuster, and could pass the chamber with 51 votes.
I can appreciate why this seems like inside baseball, but it's actually pretty important -- the efforts Schumer described yesterday are intended to not only cut off the sequester, but also avoid a government shutdown in the Spring if there's a compromise with the House. Suzy Khimm published a helpful summary of the larger budget picture.
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I hope the Senate Democrats start this congress with an in your face, no holds barred series of moves that let the RepubliCAN'TS know it will no longer be business as usual. What is in- and what is not- in the Democrat's budget, will tell us much about Obama's next four years.
The reform- if it happens at all- of the filibuster will signal this change. Or not.
Yes indeed, let's see that no holds barred spending for a change. It's time for the Democrats to come out of hiding. This "no budget, no pay" idea has much to recommend it.
Swing your partner round and round, spend this country into the ground ! That's the dance that Chucky and the brides of Chucky are calling.The "blueprint" has no dang scale!!
Baggerbabble.
I'd ask for $10 in new revenue for each $1 in restored Pentagon spending, just for the irony.
Is anybody seriously believing the idiot right-wingers in the house are going to let a Democratic budget pass?
The idea is to have budget resolutions form both Houses that are put together in committee, no? This isn't like Obama's budgets that were voted down unanimously.
That's how things are supposed to work, but the right-wing of the House so far has shown little desire to work with anything proposed by any Democrat, and that's a problem. Can't compromise when one side isn't willing to budge.
For those on the right, "compromise" means "Do things our way or else!"
Gad. The whole point of the exercise is that the Democrats haven't offered anything to work with. That's the Democratic Senate where budget items are passed with 51 votes. Now, what part of that are you having trouble understanding?
The Dems are assuming that there will be a need for the reconciliation process. Republicans don't want to put down on paper what programs they want cut. Not that we don't know that already. Dems should force the House to put down its budget and let the Republicans propose cuts in benefits. Then Dems in the Senate can say no to the cuts in benefits and propose items that Republicans are not going to want to do, like letting Medicare prescriptions prices be subject to bids just like the VA. That is one item that Republicans are not going to be able to explain away and defending it will be difficult with elections in 2014.