Posted on 06/04/2013 5:49:06 PM PDT by Libloather
The White House sought to pressure House Republicans into a budget conference with the Senate on Monday, warning President Obama would veto any 2014 spending bills based on the House GOP budget.
In Statements of Administration Policy, the White House said Obama would veto all spending bills unless they pass Congress "in the context of an overall budget framework that supports our recovery and enables sufficient investments in education, infrastructure, innovation and national security for our economy to compete in the future."
That language suggests the administration, like congressional Democrats, wants to use the conference to turn off the automatic spending cuts to domestic discretionary spending known as the sequester. The statements warned that average Americans would be hurt if Congress fails to restore some of these cuts.
The administration was responding to two spending bills the House will pass this week. One is the bill for the Department of Homeland Security, the other would fund military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Democrats have argued for weeks that Republicans are dodging a House-Senate conference on the 2014 budget. Democrats hope to use the conference to force an end to the sequester, which led to an $80 billion cut in spending this year, and would lead to another $76 billion cut in fiscal year 2014.
The case for turning off the sequester, however, has been weakened by an economy, which has strengthened in the face of the cuts. The administration warned the economy would be severely weakened by the sequester, but unemployent has fallen in recent months as consumer confidence has gone higher. The deficit has also declined, partly because of the spending cuts and separate tax hikes agreed to last year, and partly because of an improving economy.
House Republicans have said it's not worth holding a budget conference yet, since the House and Senate budget plans are so far apart.
The sequester was created as part of the 2011 deal to raise the debt ceiling and imposed cuts on defense and non-defense discretionary spending.
The House budget would increase the non-defense discretionary cuts, while increasing defense spending. It would also lower tax rates.
The Senate budget pretends the sequester never happened and includes nearly $1 trillion in new taxes.
The administration didn't mention the sequester in either of its statements, but it said the House bills would contribute to a depressed economy and require "draconian cuts to middle-class priorities."
"These cuts could result in hundreds of thousands of low-income children losing access to Head Start programs, tens of thousands of children with disabilities losing Federal funding for their special education teachers and aides, thousands of Federal agents who can't enforce drug laws, combat violent crime or apprehend fugitives, and thousands of scientists without medical grants, which would slow research that could lead to new treatments and cures for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's, and hurt America’s economic competitiveness," the statements said.
The White House was careful to note that it supports the goals of both bills, and in many cases said it supports various funding levels in the two bills. But the statement made it clear that it wants to work on these goals "as part of an acceptable budget agreement."
It's unclear how many more spending bills the House will try to pass this year. Last week, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said the House would also move a Defense and an Agriculture spending bill.
But there are growing doubts that many more will follow, given the difficulty the House Appropriations Committee may have writing other spending bills that include another round of cuts.
A Tantrum , I’m not playing any more
Lesbian fling.
maybe? He was full tilt nuts before he got into the Choom Club van.
Completely nuts, no doubt. But up against box jelly fish GOP, and with the help of his pals in the MSM, Oslama wins any fight by infinite.
Go ahead, Hussein! Please, veto away. For one thing, the crap that comes out of the RINO house leadership isn’t fiscally conservative anyway. Besides, the ‘obstructionist’ label will then we appropriately slapped on your forehead.
BTW. I am waiting for that old tarnished nugget, seniors will be forced to eat dog food, to panic idiots about the sequester.
When does Sequester 2 kick in?
Speaking of sequester I read that the White House tours are still closed since the sequester, why?
Spite
Sure, let him do it. Then submit it again the next day...and the next...and the next...
Barry refuses to spend money from a budget, but will spend unbudgeted money! What a freaking MORON. Total rebellion against any authority not in his pocket.
He needs a doctor, cause he is in professional terms, stark raving bonkers.
“Speaking of sequester I read that the White House tours are still closed since the sequester, why?”
Why would anyone want to “tour” the White House in it’s current state? It’s inhabited by a bunch of unwashed, smelly “tribespeople” from a foreign country right now! When we finally say goodbye to Obama the place will require fumigation.
i wish we would frame this as obama holding average citizens hostage if he doesn’t get his way.
i just picture him holding a gun to a taxpayer’s head, or maybe the apple logo, and saying ‘ congress bettr do what i want, or the taxpayer gets it.’
Shut it down. A whole bunch of gov’t employees need to join the recovery.
We don’t want spending bills. We want un-spending bills. Abolish pork.
Won't he have to wait until the Senate passes them?
The big lie cuts both ways.
Please, veto away. Shut the government down. I really do not care about the fallout. Each day our federal government is not working is a day of liberty.
“‘ congress better do what i want, or the taxpayer gets it”
Brilliant!
someone, or a group, should stand in front of the WH with a poster depicting BO saying that very line.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.