Slog
News & ArtsFriday, April 8, 2011
Breaking News Republicans, White House Strike Deal to Avoid Government Shutdown
Posted by Goldy on Fri, Apr 8, 2011 at 7:59 PM
The AP is reporting that House Speaker John Boehner has told Republicans that a budget deal has been struck to avoid a government shutdown. No details yet on who, if anybody, blinked.
UPDATE: Via TPM...
A senior Democratic aide tells TPM that the stopgap includes $2 billion in cuts (other reports have pegged it at $3 billion) and the long-term deal includes $38-$39 billion in cuts. That puts the spending cuts very near what Boehner had been seeking all along.
Part of the deal includes a floor vote in the Senate to defund Planned Parenthood, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) tells reporters. That's presumably a symbolic vote that will fail but is in return for Republicans giving up a similar provision in the budget resolution.
4
NYT: In a brief statement to reporters, Mr. Boehner said he was pleased that Republicans and Democrats have "come to an agreement that will in fact cut spending and keep our government open."
He added: "This has been a lot of discussion and a long fight. We fought to keep government spending down."
A Democratic source said negotiators had agreed to spending cuts totaling $38.5 billion and had resolved differences in funding for groups like Planned Parenthood that had been holding up a deal for days.
Mr. Boehner said the two sides had agreed to a six-day "bridge" extension of the government's spending authority in order to turn the agreement's framework into legislation that will fund federal operations through the end of the 2011 fiscal year in September. He said the final vote on the package would take place in the middle of next week.
He added: "This has been a lot of discussion and a long fight. We fought to keep government spending down."
A Democratic source said negotiators had agreed to spending cuts totaling $38.5 billion and had resolved differences in funding for groups like Planned Parenthood that had been holding up a deal for days.
Mr. Boehner said the two sides had agreed to a six-day "bridge" extension of the government's spending authority in order to turn the agreement's framework into legislation that will fund federal operations through the end of the 2011 fiscal year in September. He said the final vote on the package would take place in the middle of next week.
5
If I were President, I'd be using the bully pulpit a whole lot more: Big angry speeches and TV addresses. I know they don't want him to seem like an "angry black man", lest he scare the south, but they already hate him, so who cares?
I'm seriously jonesing for a better Senate Majority leader. Reid just doesn't cut it for me.
I hate to use profantiy here on slog, but what we need is a few assholes to stand up to these bullies. That must be why I'm having all these naughty dreams about Anthony Weiner.....
I'm seriously jonesing for a better Senate Majority leader. Reid just doesn't cut it for me.
I hate to use profantiy here on slog, but what we need is a few assholes to stand up to these bullies. That must be why I'm having all these naughty dreams about Anthony Weiner.....
7
If you believe this was about Planned Parenthood, the Republicans blinked. If we can continue to reduce spending by tens of billions, all while Democrats continue to believe they have "won" because Planned Parenthood still gets its crumbs, we might be able to make some real progress toward reducing the size of government.
9
Oh come on, you all know that if this agreement did not happen the end of the world would have arrived. All American cities would be empty waste lands, packs of children and dogs running about un-tended (oh wait that happens now). The landscape would be a dry barren waste. But NOW the world is right and green and lush. We can go back to "normal". All is well, please go shopping.
10
This isn't a cave. A cave would've been giving up Planned Parenthood or the EPA to keep government running. We went to the brink for womens' health and the environment this time, and the GOP know that from now on those things are off the table. Not only that, but the Dems have managed to tag the GOP majority as being more interested in legislating ladyparts and fighting the culture wars than in reducing the deficit, which puts them squarely to the right of the independents that got them elected in the first place. Meanwhile Obama once again looks like the only person who can steer this ship of fools, which is going to put him in a very good position to argue that we could sure use fewer fools in the wheelhouse.
Keep in mind, this isn't the ballgame; this is the first inning, and they're already running out of steam.
Keep in mind, this isn't the ballgame; this is the first inning, and they're already running out of steam.
11
They just got $40 billion in cuts. Extending the Bush tax cuts? THAT COST US $561 BILLION. The Republicans are still $521 billion in the hole. There is no fucking planet on which that is fiscal responsibility. This whole fucking thing is INSANE. The Repubs can bring us to the brink of a government shutdown over $40 billion, after they just put us $561 billion more in the red! Our deficit problem isn't because the size of government, it's because of our revenue problem, jesus christ, how are we even letting them have this debate with a straight face?
12
OuterCow @11: Your $560B number is about right as the two-year cost of extending all the Bush tax cuts. Of course, the only difference between the Democrats and the Republicans was over the tax cuts for the wealthiest, and the two-year cost of that provision was just $80B, or about $40B per year. So having demanded an extra $40B per year in tax cuts, and now forced $40B per year of spending cuts, the Republicans can claim to be as fiscally responsible as the Democrats, who would have kept the $40B per year in tax revenue but then spent it by not making these cuts. Of course, that makes neither party particularly fiscally responsible.
14
Now THAT'S change you can believe in!!!
Up next....Obama privatizing Social Security and Medicare in 2012. You know...it's all about being bipartisan!!!
Up next....Obama privatizing Social Security and Medicare in 2012. You know...it's all about being bipartisan!!!
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@14 yup, you're right for a change. No need to priavtize SS, just need to raise the age limit, maybe tax benefits and return SS to it original purpose and not make it a fund for back pain patients and half wits claiming mental health disability. No need to privatize.
Re: medicare and Medicaid. Time to startrationingg. No more covering stomach stapling and more co pays for chronic problems caused by lifetstyle choices.
Raise taxes on the wealthy from 36 to 39% (pre-Bush rates) and cut defense spending 10-20% and whammo, budget is balanced.
Re: medicare and Medicaid. Time to startrationingg. No more covering stomach stapling and more co pays for chronic problems caused by lifetstyle choices.
Raise taxes on the wealthy from 36 to 39% (pre-Bush rates) and cut defense spending 10-20% and whammo, budget is balanced.
16
When will Democrats learn how to negotiate?
I wouldn't trust them to haggle on my behalf for a used car!
I wouldn't trust them to haggle on my behalf for a used car!
17
15, Medicare and Medicaid are already heavily rationed. Your ideas of Social Security are right out of a GOP television ad from the 80's. You must try not to be so Reaganesque in your thinking.
A far more efficient, cost-effective way of delivering healthcare than our current ridiculous system would be to open Medicare up to everyone who wants it, and eliminate Medicaid.
And I mostly agree with your taxation idea. I would like it to be closer to 60% for the wealthiest, but I can live with Clinton-era levels. But I still advocate for the return of Eisenhower-era taxation rates until the current crisis is over (Mostly because if we did that, you'd be amazed by how quickly the "crisis" would be resolved)
And a big, huge, thumbs-up for cutting the military.
A far more efficient, cost-effective way of delivering healthcare than our current ridiculous system would be to open Medicare up to everyone who wants it, and eliminate Medicaid.
And I mostly agree with your taxation idea. I would like it to be closer to 60% for the wealthiest, but I can live with Clinton-era levels. But I still advocate for the return of Eisenhower-era taxation rates until the current crisis is over (Mostly because if we did that, you'd be amazed by how quickly the "crisis" would be resolved)
And a big, huge, thumbs-up for cutting the military.
18
And so the Republicans and Democrats continue their good cop/ bad cop game, presiding over the largest upward transfer of wealth and power in history.
A plutocracy in a perpetual state of war, but you get to vote on whether your government spokesperson wears a blue tie or a red one.
A plutocracy in a perpetual state of war, but you get to vote on whether your government spokesperson wears a blue tie or a red one.
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