Republican Obstruction Of Budget Process Hits 100th Day

[ProSense]

Republican Obstruction Of Budget Process Hits 100th Day

By Alan Pyke

Monday marks 100 days since the Senate passed a budget amid bipartisan praise of the open process. But initial Republican eagerness to work on a budget has given way to the obstructionism that’s defined the Senate minority under Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Over the past hundred days, Republicans have blocked 15 separate attempts to go to a budget conference with the House of Representatives. Now that the House and Senate have passed their own versions, each is supposed to appoint representatives to a committee that reconciles them into one bill that can be passed by each body and signed by the president.

The handful of Republicans who are blocking a conference on the 2014 budget cite a variety of reasons, including fears that the conference agreement would include a deal preventing another debt ceiling crisis. Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Marco Rubio (R-FL) have insisted that the conferees be barred from addressing the debt ceiling, which needs to be increased by this fall to avoid a catastrophic default on U.S. obligations. McConnell, who has praised the use of the debt ceiling as a pressure point for extracting spending cuts despite the tactic’s negative impact on the nation’s credit rating, is one of many prominent Republicans who demanded “regular order” on the budget. In January, he called for a speedy budget conference because “that’s how things are supposed to work around here.”

Yet McConnell has joined the Cruz/Paul/Rubio wing of his caucus in blocking progress on the budget over the past 100 days. Spokespeople for the Republican Senate leader did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Monday, but by joining with members like Paul he’s wrapped his arms around the obstructionists’ spin. According to a sign Paul’s staff whipped up for a May floor speech, they’re “Preventing A Back Room Deal To Raise The Debt Limit” and counting the days without budget conferees as a mounting victory.

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http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/07/01/2241941/republican-obstruction-of-budget-process-hits-100th-day/

[ProSense]

1. Kick! n/t

[Bill USA]

2. a bit of information you won't hear of on M$M!

[mstinamotorcity2]

3. they won't pass a budget

so that they can say the President hasn't passed a budget. republicans talk with ignorance because they can get away with it on people who do not know that congress makes and passes laws by the will of the people. the president signs them into effect. The republicans base their whole concept on those who lack knowledge on political issues. they know DAMN well when they come out and stand around their microphone banks nodding at each talking point that is mentioned that there will be those who believe they are truthful. When really they have been in back door sessions plotting how they can make a Mockery of anything that will help the American people or make our President look good. this has been the most obstructive, laziest, and most troll loving congress that has been in my lifetime. they always talk about the good old years of Sir Reagan and that's probably where they should be now.