–Senate Majority Leader: In Talks With Speaker On Budget
–Urging GOP To Include Entitlements, Revs In FY’11 Deal
–Unwise To Focus Only On Non-Defense Discretionary Spend
By John Shaw
WASHINGTON (MNI) – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday
that he’s begun negotiations with House Speaker John Boehner in an
attempt to reach an agreement on the fiscal year 2011 budget.
At a briefing, Reid said he has had “very good conversations” with
Boehner on how to complete work on the FY’11 budget. He said their two
staffs had a 90-minute meeting Wednesday.
“We’re doing just fine,” he said when asked to characterize the
talks with Boehner.
Reid offered no details, but did say he is pushing hard to expand
the talks beyond the current focus on the non-defense discretionary
budget for FY’11.
“We can’t balance the budget with 12% of the budget,” he said,
referring to the size of the non-defense discretionary budget.
Reid said that he’s urging Boehner to expand the talks beyond the
discretionary budget and include entitlements and revenues.
Boehner said at a briefing last week that expanding the talks would
“muddle” the needed focus on cutting spending.
The Senate passed Thursday a stop-gap spending bill that will fund
the government until April 8. The House passed the same bill Tuesday.
The stop-gap bill, largely drafted by House Republicans, includes
$6 billion in spending cuts. These cuts are acceptable to congressional
Democrats and the White House.
Sen, Chuck Schumer, the third ranking Senate Democrat, said “three
weeks should be enough to negotiate a deal.”
Congressional leaders and the White House have said they want to
negotiate a final
Speaking with Reid and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, Schumer
called on Republicans to drop their call to attach policy riders to any
agreement.
** Market News International Washington Bureau: (202) 371-2121 **
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