Name Lips
02-28-2011, 12:37 PM
Link (http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/28/6151556-first-thoughts-both-reid-and-boehner-blinked)
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** Both Reid and Boehner blinked: As NBC's Ken Strickland reported on Friday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office released a statement suggesting that Congress is moving toward a deal avoiding a government shutdown, at least in the short term, as the Democrats said they were "encouraged" by reports about the stop-gap spending bill House Republican are expected to pass and send to the Senate on Tuesday. It appears that both sides blinked: Democrats have agreed to the GOP’s $4 billion number for the size of the cuts over the two-week extension, while the GOP agreed to many of the particular cuts from President Obama’s budget. (Irony alert: Although Beltway pundits panned Obama’s budget for not going far enough, it created the roadmap for this first round of cuts.) But this is the easier part. If Democrats and Republicans reach this deal, it buys them just two weeks, and then we’ll watch this process play out again over legislation to keep the government operating for the rest of the year. By the way, the two-week stop-gap would expire right when Obama is supposed to travel to South America.
Wait a second.
Significant budget cuts for the 2 week extension (I consider 10 billion a week to be significant), plus concessions on things Obama wants?
This sounds suspiciously like Congress is having actual discussions and making actual compromises.
Color me cautiously optimistic. :boggle:
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** Both Reid and Boehner blinked: As NBC's Ken Strickland reported on Friday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office released a statement suggesting that Congress is moving toward a deal avoiding a government shutdown, at least in the short term, as the Democrats said they were "encouraged" by reports about the stop-gap spending bill House Republican are expected to pass and send to the Senate on Tuesday. It appears that both sides blinked: Democrats have agreed to the GOP’s $4 billion number for the size of the cuts over the two-week extension, while the GOP agreed to many of the particular cuts from President Obama’s budget. (Irony alert: Although Beltway pundits panned Obama’s budget for not going far enough, it created the roadmap for this first round of cuts.) But this is the easier part. If Democrats and Republicans reach this deal, it buys them just two weeks, and then we’ll watch this process play out again over legislation to keep the government operating for the rest of the year. By the way, the two-week stop-gap would expire right when Obama is supposed to travel to South America.
Wait a second.
Significant budget cuts for the 2 week extension (I consider 10 billion a week to be significant), plus concessions on things Obama wants?
This sounds suspiciously like Congress is having actual discussions and making actual compromises.
Color me cautiously optimistic. :boggle: