Apr 18, 2017

Appropriations Situation Looking Surprisingly Good

     From the Huffington Post:
Republicans may hold the House, the Senate and the White House, but when it comes to the upcoming omnibus spending bill, it’s Democrats who look in control. ... 
It’s the first real instance where Republicans and President Donald Trump need Democratic votes to enact their agenda ― short of once again blowing up Senate rules ― and that leverage has Democrats blocking many Republican priorities. ... 
The difficulty for Republicans is that they need eight votes in the Senate to pass an omnibus spending bill, which will fund the government until October. Needing eight Democratic votes in the Senate is basically akin to needing all Democrats, as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will have to sign off on the bill. And if Schumer has to give the deal his blessing, it’s tough for Republicans to get much. ...
Almost every lawmaker concedes they are going to blow through the Budget Control Act spending caps Congress set in 2011. The question is by how much and for what priorities. Republicans would like to add substantial money to defense. But the traditional agreement between Republicans and Democrats in Washington has been that, for every dollar of defense spending above the caps, non-defense priorities get a dollar too. ... 
Perhaps the best sign of just where a deal stands is that Democrats told The Huffington Post that negotiations were going well, whereas conservatives sounded hopeless about supporting the measure. ...

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

How wonderful of the democrats. IIRC, the first 2 years that they had the house, senate and presidency, they couldn't get anything done for SSA. Further if the Republicans don't support this, it will not get done either, so you better pray that the Republicans help out or the poor dems will do without again...

Anonymous said...

The democrats in Obama's first 2 years got a great deal done. They united republicans against them and restricted minority party rights in congress (restrictions used against them the next year).

Anonymous said...

I don't know why anyone would take congressional democratic optimism as a good sign after they have been so spectacularly bad at governing and dealing with a powerful republican party that has a single and telegraphed strategy. In fact, that they are feeling so good about this makes me believe it will fall apart in a really bad way just before the CR runs out.

Anonymous said...

@5:23

You are ignoring the fact that republicans control all three branches. If it all falls apart in a really bad way just before the CR runs out, that's on the republicans (at least that's how the democrats see it, public opinion could go either way). The democrats are in a win-win situation. If they get a compromise with republicans, great. If the CR runs out and government falls apart, great. At least, that is the gamble democrats are making.

Anonymous said...

My money is on a shut down. GOP leaders have no idea how to lead so they will fall back on doing nothing and blaming everyone else!

Hope it all burns to the ground the next few years. A third party of fiscally conservative socially liberal minded individuals needs to come in and break up the two party cluster (expletive deleted) we have had the last 2 decades.

Anonymous said...

I forgot to mention Republicans never take the blame even for things that are clearly their fault, so there's another reason there will be a shutdown (and that, if it hurts anyone, it will only be Dems)