The Hill: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Monday urged Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to ditch members of the Tea Party and cut a deal with Democrats to avert a government shutdown.“For the sake of our economy, it’s time for mainstream Republicans to stand up to the Tea Party and rejoin Democrats at the table to negotiate a responsible solution that cuts spending while protecting jobs," he said.
Reid insisted it is those GOP internal divisions that are threatening to shut down the government after April 8, in less than two weeks.
Last week Reid put $7.5 billion in discretionary cuts and $3.5 billion in mandatory savings on the table as a counteroffer to the $51 billion in additional cuts the GOP is seeking.Reid is trying to use the TEA Party as the reason for a government shut down. It won't work. Anyone with two eyes can see that the piddly little cuts Democrats and the Republican leadership are playing with are completely inadequate for tackling the deficit. So pretending that "progress" could be made if Boenher abandon the more sizable (but still inadequate) cuts the TEA Party wants is absurd.
This week Democrats are mulling raising the offer to $20 billion. But Democratic aides insist it is the divided GOP that must make the next move and come back to the negotiating table, not Democrats who must continue to negotiate with themselves and up their offer. [MORE]
The fact that Democrats have gone from zero cuts to a possible $20 billion, pretty much tells us that they are finding it harder and harder to resist spending cuts. Had the Republican leadership not been so "compromising" about cuts, Reid would probably be negotiating much more sizable cuts by now.
Via: Memeorandum
Via: The Hill
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4 comments:
Reid is basically asking Boehner to commit political suicide. While the tea party already isn't fond of Boehner, they tolerate him. I agree with your premise that the Democrats are finding reasons all of a sudden to cut spending, Republican should keep the pressure on and it is logical that the cuts will continue.
My biggest question is, is how long will our 100 million dollar a day war in Libya continue?
I know those on the left will refuse to acknowledge it, but if there is a govt. shutdown at any time prior to the end of FY2011, it is ENTIRELY the fault of Democratic party leadership - 100% - for failing to pass a budget last term. There is no excuse. They had majorities in both chambers and and hold the WH and could (and did) run roughshod over the Republicans, putting everything their little cold dead hearts desired in it.
I know, I know. Truth is inconvenient and facts obscure their VISION of what course they think this country should take. Silly me. And I'm not even a TEA partier.
A government shutdown wouldn't bother me in the least - if they aren't there, they aren't spending money - and I would wager that very few people would even realize it was closed! (of course, the MSM would find that one guy in a national park with carriage rides again and listen to him whine)
Use Senator Rand Paul's $100 billion cuts as the starting point.. then negotiate towards a "compromise" which would still be bigger than the GOP proposals.
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