 |
| 'It’s a big deal. It shows a great deal of leadership,' said Dave Camp of John Boehner. | AP Photo |
◼ Government shutdown avoided, White House and Republicans reach deal - Politico
◼ Budget Deal to Cut $38 Billion Averts Shutdown - NYT
◼ Obama takes credit for 'biggest annual spending cut in history'... - news.yahoo
◼ Who Won the Shutdown Showdown? It Wasn't Even Close - politics.blogs.foxnews.com
Over the next decade the cuts are expected to save hundreds of billions of dollars.
The deal mandates a host of studies and audits of Obama administration policies. It also blocks additional funds for the IRS sought by the Obama administration and bans federal funding of abortion in Washington, D.C.
The history of offers on this bill goes something like this. Democrats first offered no cuts, then $4 billion, then $6.5 billion, then $33 billion, then settled at $38.5 billion.
Boehner made numerous adjustments to his offer in recent days too, but started at $32 billion, then with a Tea Party push went to $62 billion, then dropped to $40 billion, then $38.5 billion.
Democrats claimed they met Republicans halfway after the $10 billion in cuts that already passed this year were approved. They settled late Friday night at three and a half times more.
Boehner came in $8.5 billion higher than the halfway point between his high offer of $61 billion in cuts and the Democrats opening bid of zero cuts.
It was not a totally lopsided bargain. Dems have some silver linings. There were no votes on defunding the EPA or PBS and NPR. Democrats fought for and won a $2 billion cut from the Department of Defense, knocking the military appropriation for the rest of the year down to $513 billion.
But the GOP had to be able to see this as a win in the end, because it is puny compared to what they want to do next.
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's 2012 budget resolution proposes cuts of $5 TRILLION in the next 10 yrs.
Reactions on the right:
◼ Obama 2009 Flashback: Obama Pledges To Cut Deficit In Half By End Of First Term - Flopping Aces
◼ IT’S NO DEAL, IT’S A SELLOUT - Dick Morris
◼ The Budget Deal---Good or Bad? - Yid With Lid
◼ Michele Bachmann against $39 billion deal. Calls it a disappointment. - cubachi
◼ REPORT: Deal Struck, Averts Shutdown (Insert ’30 Pieces of Silver’ Joke Here) - The Other McCain
◼ Crazy things the left say about budget cuts - Hillbuzz
