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WOW...first Democrat Budget in FOUR YEARS and it's a squeaker.
Long-awaited vote on Senate budget exposes cracks among Democrats
Published March 23, 2013
FoxNews.com
Senate Democrats approved their first budget in four years early Saturday morning -- but just barely.
The final vote, which was held after the Senate worked well past midnight churning through dozens of amendments, exposed cracks in Democratic unity as lawmakers facing re-election peeled off, citing the proposal's failure to tackle the deficit. In the end, the budget plan squeaked by on a razor-thin 50-49 vote. Four Democrats opposed it, and one did not vote.
The defections, while amounting to only a handful, nevertheless could spell trouble for Democratic leaders as they head into the next phase of negotiations with House Republicans. Leaders could be pressured by their more moderate members to make a bigger push to balance the budget, even if they don't want to make the kinds of major changes to entitlements that House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., prescribes.
Sen. Mark Begich, a moderate Democrat from Alaska, proudly announced Saturday that he opposed the Senate's plan because of its copious red ink.
"While I am happy that Congress is finally talking seriously about our fiscal crisis, this budget didn't go far enough," Begich said. "Alaskans expect us to finish the job and make this staggering deficit manageable. Passing this problem off to our children is not an option."
Though Democrats say Ryan is relying on unrealistic projections and changes, the House Republican budget aims to eliminate deficits over the next 10 years -- on paper, anyway. The Senate Democrats' budget doesn't come close, despite raising taxes by $1 trillion. Under their plan, the deficit over the next decade never dips below $400 billion and would hover at or near $600 billion by 2023.
This, as Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions repeatedly notes, would add $7.3 trillion to the national debt over that period.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/23/long-awaited-vote-on-senate-budget-exposes-cracks-among-democrats/#ixzz2ORIuljWt
Long-awaited vote on Senate budget exposes cracks among Democrats
Published March 23, 2013
FoxNews.com
Senate Democrats approved their first budget in four years early Saturday morning -- but just barely.
The final vote, which was held after the Senate worked well past midnight churning through dozens of amendments, exposed cracks in Democratic unity as lawmakers facing re-election peeled off, citing the proposal's failure to tackle the deficit. In the end, the budget plan squeaked by on a razor-thin 50-49 vote. Four Democrats opposed it, and one did not vote.
The defections, while amounting to only a handful, nevertheless could spell trouble for Democratic leaders as they head into the next phase of negotiations with House Republicans. Leaders could be pressured by their more moderate members to make a bigger push to balance the budget, even if they don't want to make the kinds of major changes to entitlements that House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., prescribes.
Sen. Mark Begich, a moderate Democrat from Alaska, proudly announced Saturday that he opposed the Senate's plan because of its copious red ink.
"While I am happy that Congress is finally talking seriously about our fiscal crisis, this budget didn't go far enough," Begich said. "Alaskans expect us to finish the job and make this staggering deficit manageable. Passing this problem off to our children is not an option."
Though Democrats say Ryan is relying on unrealistic projections and changes, the House Republican budget aims to eliminate deficits over the next 10 years -- on paper, anyway. The Senate Democrats' budget doesn't come close, despite raising taxes by $1 trillion. Under their plan, the deficit over the next decade never dips below $400 billion and would hover at or near $600 billion by 2023.
This, as Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions repeatedly notes, would add $7.3 trillion to the national debt over that period.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/23/long-awaited-vote-on-senate-budget-exposes-cracks-among-democrats/#ixzz2ORIuljWt