–Senate Majority Leader Rebukes Boehner For Pessimism on Budget
–‘Disappointed’ That Speaker Doubts Deficit Cut Deal
–‘Much, Much Too Early To Give Up’ on Deficit Cut Deal
–Sen. McConnell: Senate’s Final Vote Before Elect May Be Next Thursday
By John Shaw
WASHINGTON (MNI) – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday
that he believes Congress and President Obama will reach a budget
agreement after the November elections.
At a briefing after a Senate Democratic policy luncheon, Reid said
he was “disappointed” to learn that House Speaker John Boehner said
earlier in the day that he was “not at all confident” that a budget deal
can be achieved.
Reid said he’s “confident we will reach some kind of arrangement”
to avert the coming fiscal cliff.
Reid said that it’s “much, much too early to give up” on a budget
deal after the elections.
Reid predicted the political climate will be much more conducive to
a budget deal after the Nov. 6 election, predicting a diminished
political strength for the Tea Party faction in the Republican party.
The Senate is now working on a veterans’ jobs bill and Reid said
there other items he would like the Senate to consider this month, but
added that he expects Republicans to block virtually all legislation
except the stop-gap spending bill for the 2013 fiscal year.
The House is expected to pass the FY’13 stop-gap spending
bill on Thursday that will fund the government until March 27, 2013.
Speaking after Reid, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said
that he expects the Senate to vote on the stop-gap spending bill for the
2013 fiscal year next Thursday.
McConnell said he assumes that will be the final major bill the
Senate will deal with before the elections.
** MNI Washington Bureau: (202) 371-2121 **
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