The White House, perhaps in an attempt to defuse one of the time bombs set to go off this week, released a
statement last night hinting that it would reject the House inclusions in the omnibus spending bill, and urging Congress to do a simple short-term funding bill.
The President continues to have significant concerns about a number of provisions that have been reported to be in the Republican agreement on the omnibus. This includes provisions that would undermine Wall Street reforms, enact extreme social and ideological riders, undercut environmental protections, and threaten the foreign policy prerogatives of the President. Given the magnitude of the legislation—providing over $1 trillion dollars in funding—coupled with the unresolved payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance extension, Congress should pass a short-term continuing resolution as it has seven times already this year so that all parties have an appropriate opportunity to consider and complete all of the critical budget and economic issues necessary to finish our responsibilities for the year.
And the House, of course, released its budget with most of those objectionable things, although they weren't able to completely gut the Environmental Protection Agency Rules or cut off funding to Planned Parenthood. They settled for blocking energy efficiency standards for light bulbs (seriously, this obsession is just bizarre) and punishing low-income women in D.C., making abortion more difficult (totally predictable). And to reinforce the point that they were drug into the 21st century kicking and screaming, they are clinging to Cold War restrictions on Cuba.
And there's this.
The underlying bill has bipartisan backing but could encounter turbulence with tea party lawmakers seeking far more significant cuts to government agencies. The measure funds the day-to-day operating budgets of 10 Cabinet departments and programs ranging from border security to flood control to combating AIDS and famine in Africa.
It could still do all those things and not get the tea party on board because it leaves a scrap of funding for education and the safety net. Which means that it needs Democratic support. Which means that Democrats actually do still have leverage, they just need to realize that they have it and actually exert it.