This would be the third min-CR and would last a week, according to House Republicans. It would cut $12 billion from the budget and authorize defense spending for the rest of the fiscal year.
But a revolt is brewing in both the House and Senate. Fiscal hawks are aching for a showdown with President Obama and the Democrats while Harry Reid seems to think that a shutdown of government will be good for the Democrats.
In other words, this CR may not pass. NRO:
GOP leaders are also distributing pamphlets instructing members on how to prepare for a government shutdown, making sure they are ready for all possible scenarios.Following a Republican conference meeting Monday night, House Appropriations Committee chairman Hal Rogers (R., Ky.) accused Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) of negotiating in bad faith and placed the blame for the recent breakdown in negotiations squarely at Reid's feet, alleging that the Senate leader had abruptly told Democratic negotiators to cease negotiating over the weekend. "We made good progress Saturday, but come Sunday things just stopped," Rogers said.
Several members expressed concern that Senate Democrats were angling for a government shutdown. "That's the only possible interpretations of [Reid's] actions," said Rep. Mike Simpson (R., Idaho), a senior member of the Appropriations Committee. "We're doing everything we can to avoid a government shutdown. If the government shuts down it will be because Harry Reid refuses to sit and negotiate in good faith...it'll be because that's what they want."
And it appears that Harry Reid - no doubt on orders from on high - is angling for a shutdown that the Dems will immediately blame on Republicans:
"Leader Reid has attempted to abuse the budget process to conceal additional spending through phony offsets and gimmicks. He has proposed damaging cuts to national defense to pay for lower-priority domestic programs. He has prohibited the involvement of his own Democrat Senators in negotiations. And, he has dictated that all policy provisions and legislative language be cleared through him and him alone - destroying the ability of negotiators to continue in their work."As stated previously, the resolution includes funding for the Defense Department through September 30, while funding other government operations for another week, cutting spending by $12 billion. On an annualized basis, this would yield nearly half a trillion dollars in savings. All of the cuts were included in the House-passed spending bill, H.R. 1, and many were also included in either President Obama's budget request for 2012 or the Senate Democrats' alternative proposal.
Which narrative will win? Polls show the public very concerned about government spending, which favors the GOP, but also concerned about cutting favored programs, which favors the Dems.
If there is a shutdown, does it really matter who gets the blame? In the long run, yes. But short term, if that CR isn't passed, there will be enough confusion and worry by taxpayers that there will be enough blame to go around for all.
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