Ryan’s Hope
It’s an election year, so why is the House Budget chairman so willing to hand an explosive issue such as retooling Medicare to the Democrats?
He seems tone-deaf to the potential political risks of his upcoming budget, so much so that it’s worth asking: Is this budget plan more important to him than, say, the Republicans winning the White House?
“Yeah,” Ryan says from his office on a recent afternoon. “The moral obligation to do something about the debt crisis trumps everything.”
Following this sense of moral duty is either the most head-scratching move a Republican could make during a presidential election year, or the hallmark of a savvy rising GOP star whose eyes are fixed on the long view. — By Nancy Cook
Live Budget Day Chat with NJ's Nancy Cook
Go here to post your questions. The chat begins at 3:30pm EST.
Red Ink and Bright Lines; Obama’s Budget Placeholder. By Major Garrett
What we've all been waiting for: The 2013 Budget.
Just a little light Monday reading.
PHOTO OF THE DAY: Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., chairman of the House Budget Committee, speaks to the media following a meeting between President Obama and the House Republican Conference about the national debt limit and budget plans at the White House on Wednesday. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
Statement by Press Secretary Jay Carney on House Republican Budget Vote
The President agrees with House Republicans that we must reduce our deficit and put our country on a fiscally sound path, but we disagree with their approach. The House Republican plan places the burden of debt reduction on those who can least afford it, ends Medicare as we know it, and doubles health care costs for seniors in order to pay for more than a trillion dollars in tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. This week, the President put forth a balanced approach to deficit reduction based on shared responsibility and shared prosperity. The President’s approach ensures the nation lives within its means by cutting spending and bringing down the debt, while supporting our economic recovery and ensuring we are making the investments we need to win the future. Though our approaches differ, our goal remains the same. Any solution will require Republicans and Democrats working together, and we are committed to that process.
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See you in September!
The Senate has passed funding for fiscal year 2011, 81-19.
Budget Cutting Ain’t Easy
The meat of the spending deal struck between the two parties late Friday night was revealed in a legislative omnibus released early Tuesday morning. The specifics show that finding nearly $40 billion in cuts during the 2011 fiscal year required clever accounting and, for the White House, a willingness to concede on rhetoric to find gains on substance.
