In a bipartisan vote, the House voted 332-94 to approve a two-year budget plan Thursday evening over objections of conservatives concerned it would increase spending in the short-term and liberals concerned it would not extend long-term aid. The bill now goes to the Senate.
The House vote indicates the bill could be on a relatively clear path to the president’s desk which would aleve fears over another government shutdown, however, lawmakers do face a January 15 deadline to approve a spending plan.
The bill was approved with more Republican than Democratic votes. House Speaker John Boehner was among those voting yes which is notable because the Speaker often does not vote. Among the 32 Democratic no votes was House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland reflecting a rare split in the party leadership. Before the vote, Boehner sparred with the right flank of his party over the bill. He specifically criticized conservative advocacy groups trying to pressure the rank-and-file to block the budget.
“Frankly, I think they’re misleading their followers,” Boehner said at a press conference. “I think they’re pushing our members into places where they don’t want to be. And frankly, I just think that they’ve lost all credibility.” His comments reflected a new aggressive approach by the speaker in contrast to the more conciliatory tone he took during the last recent budget showdown. He even took a shot at them for fueling the last battle. “You know, one of them, they pushed us into the fight to defund ObamaCare and shut down the government,” he said.
Freedom Works President Matt Kibbe, one group opposing the bill, said in a statement, “Speaker Boehner may not care about what fiscally conservative groups do, but grassroots Americans still care about what he’s doing in Washington. When it comes to ‘credibility,’ actions speak louder than words. And right now, it looks like the Speaker is leading the charge for spending increases and recruiting Democrat votes in the House to help get it done.”
A Senate vote would likely wait until next week, and it is not clear yet whether Tea Party aligned conservatives would require supporters to amass a 60-vote majority in order to pass it. The deal would help put a dysfunctional Washington on track to prevent unappealing cuts to military readiness and weapons, as well as continued cuts to programs cherished by Democrats and Republicans alike including health research, school aid, FBI salaries and border security. The cuts would be replaced with money from higher airline security fees, curbs on the pension benefits of new federal workers or working-age military retirees and premium increases on companies whose pension plans are insured by the federal government.
Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama who is the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee said that “much of the spending increase in this deal has been justified by increased fees and new revenue. In other words, it’s a fee increase to fuel a spending increase, rather than reducing deficits.”
Click here to read my previous article concerning this budget debate: https://fggam.org/congressional-budget-negotiators-reach-tentative-deal/
