–House Tries to Plow Through Dozens of Amendments Before Final Vote
–House Republicans Push Amendment to Defund Health Care Law
–House GOP,Senate Democrats Sharpen Threats on Funding Gov Post-March 4

By John Shaw

WASHINGTON (MNI) – The House resumed consideration Friday of a
stop-gap spending bill for the 2011 fiscal year and is expected to vote
on dozens of additional amendments before moving to final passage either
later Friday or Saturday.

The FY2011 spending bill, which is expected to be further revised
by amendments Friday, cuts spending for non-security discretionary
programs by about $61 billion from FY2010 levels and about $100 billion
below what President Barack Obama first requested.

The current stop-gap spending bill to keep the government running
extends until March 4.

The House is expected to pass its FY11 stop-gap bill in the next
day or two on a near party line vote. Both the House and Senate will be
out next week and the Senate is expected to take up its stop-gap bill on
Feb. 28.

Senate Democrats are working on a much different FY11 spending bill
than is the House which is led by a Republican majority.

Since the House and Senate are very unlikely to resolve their
differences by March 4, the focus will soon shift to what kind of
short-term bill is passed by Congress to keep the government operating
while talks go forward on a spending bill for the rest of FY11.

At a briefing Thursday, House Speaker John Boehner said he will
insist that even a short-term FY11 funding bill include spending
reductions rather than just continue spending at current rates.

“I’m not going to move any kind of short-term CR at current levels.
When we say we’re going to cut spending, read my lips, we’re going to
cut spending,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid responded Thursday by blasting
Boehner for trying to dictate the terms of even a short-term funding
bill.

“We’re terribly disappointed Speaker Boehner can’t control the
votes in his conference. They’re going to shut down the government. And
now he’s resorting to threats to do just that without any negotiations.
That is not permissible. We will not stand for that,” Reid said.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, a member of the Senate Democratic leadership,
Thursday called on House Republicans to begin talks with Senate
Democrats on a plan to keep the government funded after March 4, while
broader talks go forward on resolving spending issues for the rest of
the 2011 fiscal year.

“We’re pretty far apart … There has to be a negotiation,” Schumer
said.

The 2011 fiscal year began Oct. 1, 2010 and ends Sept. 30, 2011.
None of the 12 regular spending bills have been passed by Congress. A
series of short-term spending bills has kept the government operating
since Oct. 1.

White House budget director Jack Lew said the stop-gap bill the
House is considering “goes too far” in terms of spending cuts, but added
there is “considerable room for discussion.”

The House bill cuts hundreds of programs including $48 million for
SEC enforcement programs.

The House will vote later Friday on a bill to defund some of the
new programs established by last year’s health care law.

While the Senate will take up the FY11 stop gap spending bill the
week of Feb 28, much of the current focus in the Senate is on developing
a broader deficit reduction bill.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad said repeatedly this
week that he does not think the administration’s fiscal year 2012 budget
is adequate given the nation’s growing fiscal challenges.

“How do we get to the table to have a serious negotiation?” Conrad
asked Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner Thursday, who declined to give him
a direct answer.

Conrad said he hopes that “sometime very soon” there is a
bipartisan “summit” or “negotiation” for a long-term deficit reduction
plan.

Conrad has been working with a bipartisan group of senators to turn
the main elements of the Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction plan into
legislation.

** Market News International Washington Bureau: (202) 371-2121 **

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