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Politico...
Budget writers look
for deals
By Jake Sherman & Manu Raju
3/23/11
House Republican leaders are planning to unveil an aggressive 2012
budget in three weeks — a proposal that could help shield them from tea
party attacks if they’re forced to cut a deal with Democrats on the
stalled 2011 spending bill.
Both parties are quietly negotiating as Congress stands in recess, not
only searching for a final dollar figure compromise but also trying to
figure out how to deal with some of the most hot-button legislative
riders in the bill — including the ban on funding for Planned
Parenthood.
Several congressional sources say negotiators are trying to find a
middle ground on Planned Parenthood funding, to say that no funding can
be used for abortion but allow the group to use money on a handful of
other services. Such a compromise is bound to upset social
conservatives, but it’s one of several concessions House Republicans
may have to make as Senate Republicans like Scott Brown of
Massachusetts and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska raise concerns about
completely cutting off the funding. Negotiators are also considering
plans to cut off federal funding for District of Columbia abortion
services, something that’s won support from Democrats in the past.
Such compromises might not pass muster with liberals, either —
including Planned Parenthood, which says the House plan would eliminate
the organization’s ability to provide family and prenatal care and
cancer screenings.
“The segregation in this arena has been around for decades — it’s very
strict, it’s very strong, so I don’t think there is anything more that
can or needs to be done to ensure that federal funding does not pay for
abortions,” Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood, told
POLITICO, referring to the long-standing ban preventing federal money
from paying for abortions.
Republicans realize that a compromise of their $61 billion cut will be
a tough sell with their caucus, so they are already promising much more
dramatic changes for the fiscal 2012 budget rollout next month, saying
that’s where the true vision of less spending and smaller government
will be unveiled. They say the current spending debate is just about
cleaning up the Democrats’ mess.
In a recent interview with a conservative blog, Speaker John Boehner
(R-Ohio) said in no uncertain terms that “we’re going to deal” with
entitlements in the 2012 budget. “Whether we can get the Senate or the
White House to deal with it, I don’t know. But I can tell you we’re
going to deal with it, because we believe that it has to be dealt with
now.”
Adding yet another complication to the spending fight is the conflict
with Libya — the United States could end up spending tens, or perhaps
hundreds, of millions of dollars in its most recent bombing campaign in
Libya, undermining the spending cuts pushed by Republicans. And neither
side wants to be blamed for shutting down a government now engaged in
three military conflicts.
There are no immediate plans to offset the cost, aides said.
Read the rest of the story at Politico
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