Senate Democrat Calls For Clean Slate In Budget Talks

by Anna Cameron

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) urged Congress Wednesday to “hit the reset button” on the budget debate, just 9 days before the continuing resolution extension expires on March 18.

“It isn’t often that two failed votes in the Senate could be called a breakthrough, but the current debate over the federal budget has hit such an impasse that this will actually be considered progress,” said Schumer. “To make progress this time,…we must approach the issue from a different angle.”

Identifying the projected failure of votes on both H.R.1 and the Senate alternative as “an opportunity,” Schumer encouraged both parties to revisit the lessons of the Bush and Clinton administrations of the ’90s when formulating a new budget proposal.

In 1990, for instance, George H.W. Bush implemented a budget plan that saved approximately $500 billion. The initiative contained one third discretionary cuts, one third mandatory cuts, and one third tax increases.

“Like President George H.W. Bush and President Clinton, we need to look at all parts of the budget,” Schumer said. “We need an ‘all of the above’ approach.”

Schumer slammed the GOP’s budget approach, noting that the proposed cuts in domestic discretionary spending contained in H.R.1 would reduce the deficit by a “meaningless” 0.3 percent, while eliminating jobs and slashing funding in education, infrastructure and innovation in technology.

“Republicans are using deficit talk as a Trojan horse for their real aim - which is cutting government - and in particular, cutting programs they don’t like,” Schumer asserted.

Up-or-down votes on H.R.1 and a Senate proposal are slated to occur on the Senate floor Wednesday. 

Hoyer Urges GOP To Meet Dems Halfway Over Budget Proposal

By Anna Cameron

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) pressured Republicans Tuesday to “step up” and compromise with Democrats over a spending plan for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2011.

“They know what they’re against, but they have not provided positive alternatives for what they’re for [or] how to address the critical issues confronting our country,” Hoyer told reporters Tuesday.

Hoyer described the adamancy with which Republicans have stuck to their proposed $100 billion figure as an adherence to “political figures or sums,” rather than a commitment to thoughtful or responsible spending cuts.

Conversely, the Minority Whip noted that Democrats have increased proposed spending cuts from an initial $41 billion to a total of $51.5 billion, an effort that he touted as a “willingness to cut and compromise.”

As a potential government shutdown looms, Hoyer stressed the irresponsibility, inefficiency, and destabilizing effects of continued funding of the government based on two-week extensions.

“We are hopeful that the Republicans will respond tomorrow in a positive fashion, to move us toward what any reasonable person would think is a compromise,” Hoyer said.

Reid Blasts Proposed GOP Cuts, Casts Doubt On Budget Compromise

By Anna Cameron

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) continued his verbal assault on the GOP budget package Friday during an appearance on the Senate floor.

“That irresponsible proposal slashes investments, cuts jobs, and sacrifices security and education,” Reid said.

The Senate Majority leader further dismissed the $61 billion in spending cuts, declaring that the plan “is based in ideology” and makes cuts “arbitrarily, without regard for consequences.”

After meeting yesterday with Vice President Joe Biden and Republican leaders to negotiate government funding through the end of the current fiscal year ending on September 30, Reid was pessimistic concerning potential budgetary outcomes.

At present, Republicans, Democrats, and the White House have each presented differing proposals. Though Democrats have consistently voiced opposition to the GOP package, Republicans would like the Senate to vote on their budget that has already passed in the House. The White House, however, has asked Congress to pass a budget that slashes $10 billion in spending from current levels.

Reid acknowledged Friday that his party’s proposal, which would bring spending down by $51 billion, is unlikely to gain traction.

“Not to spoil the surprise, but we all know how this vote will turn out,” he said. “We know neither will reach the President’s desk as written. We’ll end up back at square one, without consensus, without a budget for the rest of this fiscal year, and without assurance that we can keep the country running.”

Anti Abortion Bill Has Sparked Uncommon Party Unity, Say House Dems

By Anna Cameron

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee took a final stand against H.R.3, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions Act, Wednesday during a media conference call with reporters. 

The GOP backed legislation, which Democrats have rebuked as an ‘assault on women’s health,’ is scheduled for a markup by the Republican-chaired House Judiciary Committee Thursday.

“We will be attempting to point [out] the many ways that this measure cuts deeply into personal choices and constitutionally protected health care decisions,” said ranking member John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.)

Though ten Democrats have supported H.R.3, the Congressmen spoke optimistically about the cohesion apparent among party members. 

“The vast majority of Democrats agree that this a massive overstep, that it is [an] extreme bill,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.). “To say that out of 190-odd Democrats, you may get ten…who vote the wrong way, is an incredible amount of agreement for a party that historically doesn’t always march in lockstep.”

“This is about as much unity [as] we can get,” added Conyers.

“Even the members that signed on to the bill that were Democrats made it clear to the sponsors that the…rape and incest language…if [it] were not taken out, they were voting no on the bill,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) confirmed. 

The House Judiciary Committee markup is slated for 10:00 am Thursday. 

Current Educational System An Economic Hindrance, Say Senate Dems

By Anna Cameron

Moderate Senate Democrats gathered Wednesday on the Walker Jones Education Campus in D.C., a pre-K-8 school, to introduce key principles in American education by stressing the need for the urgency of reform to the No Child Left Behind program.

“Education is the civil rights issue of our generation,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who joined the group in its call for action. “I am absolutely convinced that the dividing line in our country today is less around race and class than it is around educational opportunity.”

Furthermore, Senators warned that in addition having divisive effects, the crisis in education could be detrimental on an economic and competitive level. For example, over the past ten years the United States has gone from first to fifteenth globally in terms of the production of college graduates.

“Today a college degree is a prerequisite for success, and an educated workforce is a necessity for our country to compete in the global economy,” said Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) in response to the statistic. “Our failure to ensure such opportunity..risks granting our generation with the unfortunate legacy of being the first America to leave less opportunity, and not more, to our kids…”

Addressing several problems in No Child Left Behind, the proposed principles aim to close the Title I Comparability loophole, support bold efforts at school turnaround, target accountability structures, foster innovation, and ameliorate teacher recruitment, training, and evaluation systems.

“As we work to fix No Child Left Behind, we believe that these principles will prepare our students with the skills to compete in the twenty-first century global economy,” noted Senator Kay Hagan (D-N.C.)

Education Secretary Arne Duncan stressed the urgent necessity of immediate bipartisan reform, as he called for action before the Congressional recess in August.

“We need to do it now, we would love to have this done before the August recess,…and we have to do it together,” concluded Duncan.