Biden Announces Budget Breakthrough After Huddling With Dems

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: TPMDC

Vice President Joe Biden announced a breakthrough in talks to avert a government shutdown as top aides continued to hash out a proposal with cuts of nearly $33 billion in the 2011 budget.

Although Biden said no deal had been reached as of Wednesday night, he was optimistic that the agreement on the top figure was the beginning of the end to the standoff between House Republicans, Senate Democrats and the White House on how to fund the government through September and keep it up and running past April 8.

"There is no reason why, with all that's going on in the world and with the state of the economy, we can't reach an agreement to avoid a government shutdown, because the bottom line here is we're working off the same number," Biden told reporters after closed-door meeting with Senate Democrats.

The $33 billion number is below the $61 billion in reductions passed by the House Republicans last month, and as aides haggle over the details of the cuts -- some of which would include drawing from entitlement programs -- the pressure will be on Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) to sell the deal to his conference.

Read more: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/biden-announces-budget-breakthrough-after-huddling-with-dems.php?ref=tn

[bluestateguy]

1. Prediction: the deal will fall apart before the Sunday morning talk shows

nt

[xchrom]

2. Well -- this should be good. Nt

[Angry Dragon]

3. That sucking sound you hear is getting louder

-- some of which would include drawing from entitlement programs --

[Lasher]

6. That's the part that jumped out at me.

I'm afraid Obama is going to exile the Democratic party to minority status for a generation.

[Kall]

4. Geez

Thank God the Tax Cut Deal to extend Bush's tax cuts for millionaires was just a one-time hostage-taking thing that was not going to happen again, and rolling over on it wasn't going to empower a pattern of behavior that the Republicans would use in future negotiations. The crack political and policy team strikes again.

[Myrina]

5. ... the Military Spending is still not considered 'an entitlement' ...

Grrrrr. :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Plucketeer]

9. I'm with you!

Wish we could scuttle our own Navy! Enough is ENOUGH!

[Lasher]

13. That's exactly what we need to do.

Our defense spending has doubled since 2002. As long as we have our huge military, we will be expected to police the world while everybody else pretty much stands idly by. We have 11 monster aircraft carriers, the smallest being 93,500 tons. France has one 42,000 ton carrier and the UK has one half that size.

US defense spending (in millions):

2009 - $667,557
2010 - $695,646
2011 - $712,655 (estimate)

Office of Management and Budget, Historical Tables; Table 5.2, Budget Authority by Agency: 1976-2015

[Plucketeer]

16. Yup!

NATO "taking over" - what a friggin' SHAM!

I think NATO should stand for North American Tactical Outfit

[Jackpine Radical]

7. As part of the deal, all firstborn children born to registered Democrats

in the next year will be given over to the custody of Republicans, who will raise them in camps run by snake-handling cult leaders.

[onehandle]

8. MSNBC is saying that Democrats 'caved.' nt

[davidthegnome]

10. Refreshing

MSNBC is telling the truth. Sorry, but they did cave.

[Lasher]

14. From NBC's Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg

Caving in

If the current Washington fight over spending was a game of chicken, the Obama White House would already be pulled over on the side of the road, as House Republicans continue to barrel down the deserted highway. The fact is, the White House and Senate Democrats keep caving, while House Republicans -- at least publicly -- have yet to budge an inch. The latest development, as Politico reports, is that the administration has agreed to an overall cut of $33 billion, which is near the number that the House leadership originally proposed (before the Tea Party caucus forced it to go higher). And now the White House appears to be backing away from its demand that no riders be attached to the deal. Press Secretary Jay Carney said there is no veto threat from the White House on a deal that contains ANY riders, as was originally the position. And here’s what Vice President Biden said on the matter yesterday: “The president and I are not really big on any riders at all. But this is a process which is normal for the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to get into the details. We’ve made it clear what we think are non-starters, both in numbers and riders. But I’m not going to go -- I’m not going to negotiate out here.”

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/31/6382142-first-thoughts-caving-in

[damntexdem]

11. No, the pressure will be on the Dem leadership to explain why it caved.

The $33 billion in cuts is bound to include devastating cuts to needed programs and important government functions.

[postulater]

12. If Repubs want limited government they should start with limited military.

[backtomn]

15. While Biden is trumpeting the deal.....

Boehner is saying that nothing has been decided. This isn't over yet........but maybe things are at least turning our way. Although, I was hoping for better.