The AP suggests that accounting gimmicks make the cuts a lot smaller than their price tag implies.
A close look at the government shutdown-dodging agreement to cut federal spending by $38 billion reveals that lawmakers significantly eased the fiscal pain by pruning money left over from previous years, using accounting sleight of hand
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At 2:30 PM on Saturday, President Obama took a victory lap at the Lincoln Memorial. He shook hands with surprised tourists, basked in their cheers, and took care to underline that Friday night’s grand bargain was the reason they were able to come pay their respects at Lincoln’s throne. “Because Congress was able to settle its …
With just minutes to go before a midnight deadline, House Republicans and Senate Democrats announced they had struck a long-awaited deal to fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year, averting a shutdown that would have furloughed hundreds of thousands of federal employees, stalled services for millions of Americans and …
It’s almost like bizarro New Year’s Eve in the Capitol. Staffers seem slightly punch-drunk from all the speculation and hearsay. Cable networks are splashing countdown clocks and breaking-news banners everywhere. (A deal might be close!) Lawmakers are running out of insulting metaphors; Chuck Schumer today characterized the Tea Party …
The pro-life Susan B. Anthony List and Rep. Jim Jordan, head of the Republican Study Committee, just held a conference call in which Jordan said the fight is all about abortion. “The country’s broke. The vast majority of Americans, whether they’re pro-life or not, don’t want their tax dollars being spent to take the life of …
Almost all female Democratic Senators filed into a press gallery, at high noon on the Hill, to articulate their response to the current stalemate on budget talks. Washington Sen. Patty Murray summed up their bottom line: “We know we have to keep the government open … but we’re not going to throw women under the bus.”
Nine …
Progressive evangelical leader Jim Wallis is now eleven days into a fast to bring attention to budget cuts in programs that target low-income Americans. He and former Democratic Congressman Tony Hall have been joined by a variety of religious leaders, as well as the leaders of MoveOn.org and SEIU. And now 28 members of Congress (all …
The Wall Street Journal editorial page, an important barometer of conservative thought, leads today with an editorial suggesting that a shutdown would be to President Obama’s advantage:
Inviting a shutdown sooner or later has looked to be the White House strategy since Mr. Obama unveiled his own budget in February that increased
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Updated, 11:10 AM
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters this morning that he and House Speaker John Boehner agreed last night to $38 billion in spending cuts. The only hurdle left to clear, Reid said, was Republican insistence on the inclusion of a Planned Parenthood policy rider. Reid said he was “very hopeful” the parties …
TIME’s Michael Grunwald says the pundits have it all wrong. Paul Ryan’s budget plan is not courageous.
Ryan is a conservative Republican from a conservative Republican district, a committee chairman in a conservative Republican caucus. He was reelected last year with 68% of the vote. . . . I do question whether it was really courageous
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This morning Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called the networks together and gave them an update on the negotiations (as I type this Reid is starting another press conference in the Senate). He said the issues have narrowed to one: abortion. Reid said House Speaker John Boehner is pushing a rider that would make Title X into block …
The absurdity of the current moment in U.S. politics is truly astounding. Ezra Klein, as usual, gives a smart, concise account of the current state of play. But it’s important to step back and take a look at the big picture, as I tried to do the other day in this post–unfortunately, more than a few commentators, and one Time.com …
John Boehner has a decision to make. And in some ways it’s akin to choosing between his children. By midnight tonight the government will shut down unless an agreement can be reached between the Speaker and President Obama. Whatever Boehner decides will have long-reaching implications for his Speakership.
Ideally, Boehner would have …
