Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) continued a Democratic assault on Republicans over their refusal to compromise on spending cuts.
Since the Senate returned to session yesterday, Democrats have claimed that House leaders backed out of a deal last week to pass a 2011 budget that includes $20 billion in cuts due to pressure from Tea Party lawmakers.
“It’s no exaggeration to say that as of last week, talks were on a smooth path toward a compromise,” Schumer said on Tuesday. “We were right on the verge of a potential breakthrough and they suddenly moved the goal posts.”
Last week, Schumer issued a direct plea to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to “abandon the Tea Party and work to find a bipartisan consensus.” Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) blamed “infighting between the tea party and the rest of the Republican party” for causing the reported spending deal to collapse.
Republicans, however, have accused Democrats of confusing public support for reducing spending with the Tea Party’s agenda.
“Reid has longstanding obsession with the Tea Party, and by continuing to blame them as the source of all of his problems, he completely overlooks the fact that independent voters overwhelming agree with their desire to cut spending and keep taxes low,” a GOP aide told Politico.
In addition, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) speculated Tuesday that by not supporting steeper spending cuts, Democrats may be hinting support for a government shutdown. That could happen should Congress fail to pass a funding extension by next Friday.