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View Full Version : John Boehner defies conservatives, goes bold on budget




Mr.NoSmile
03-20-2015, 10:29 AM
Over the next week, the Ohio Republican and his top lieutenants plan to jam two big-ticket items through the House — a show of strength for a leadership team stung by a string a defeats and facing doubts about whether it even can govern.

First, to get a budget approved, the Republican leaders intend to employ a parliamentary maneuver to boost defense spending by $20 billion without any corresponding spending cuts. They’re betting the move will help break a stalemate between fiscal hardliners and defense hawks.

...

Whipsawed over the past several years by its rank-and-file, especially the most hard-core conservatives, GOP leaders appear determined to take charge. Boehner and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) have divvied up responsibility for the two major pieces of legislation. Boehner is working to ensure passage of the so-called “doc-fix” package, while McCarthy — with a lot of help from Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and his whip team — is overseeing work on the budget resolution, according to GOP leadership aides. The leadership even was prepared to take control of the budget, if new Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-Ga.) resisted changes to defense spending.

Of course, this can all blow up in Boehner’s face, as carefully laid plans frequently have before. Outside conservative groups, including Heritage Action — citing information from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget — are already agitating against the Medicare reimbursement deal, claiming it will increase the deficit by $400 billion over the next two decades, far more than Boehner is asserting.

And fiscal conservatives are fuming about busting spending caps put into law four years ago to preclude these kinds of maneuvers. Boehner, though, needs to placate dozens of defense hawks, who have threatened to oppose the budget resolution unless the Pentagon gets billions of dollars more than President Barack Obama has sought. Deficit hardliners want to cut the budget somewhere else to offset any defense bump.

Boehner, though, is vowing to push on, and he figures he can pick up more defense hawks than he will lose fiscal conservatives. With 245 House Republicans, Boehner had a 28-vote margin to play with heading into next week, and GOP insiders appear confident — for the moment — that they can get there.

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/john-boehner-defies-conservatives-goes-bold-on-budget-116249.html?hp=t3_r

Hence, the numbers are just not there yet from those who oppose Boehner, who can fume and such, but apparently have little influence outside of their circle.

Brian4Liberty
03-20-2015, 03:02 PM
579025132485640192

Acala
03-20-2015, 03:15 PM
They will spend and spend and spend until the dollars won't spend no more.

georgiaboy
03-20-2015, 03:16 PM
bold?


not.

JK/SEA
03-20-2015, 03:17 PM
read my lips...

Brian4Liberty
03-20-2015, 03:48 PM
579031796873965568

Dianne
03-21-2015, 09:18 PM
Remember that Boehner and Pelosi cut a deal just two weeks ago that the Democratic Senate will protect his seat. All he has to do is stand up against the conservative voice of the GOP. Boehner is clearly a democrat hiding in republican clothing. Either that or he can't stay sober long enough to recognize what party he is supposed to represent.