|
 The 332-94 bipartisan vote sends the measure to the Senate, which
is expected to pass it next week despite the objections of
conservative political groups that say it violates their core goal
of cutting government spending.
The modest deal makes no major dent in the U.S. deficit and does not
deal with the nation's borrowing authority, which could provoke a
battle when it needs to be increased by Congress in late February or
early in the spring.
Nor is there any expectation that it will usher in a new era of
cooperation on other issues, such as immigration or gun control.
The deal sets spending levels for two years, a significant break
from the recent pattern of short-term funding bills that require
extension every few months, always under the threat of a government
shutdown like the 16 day closure in October.
It follows three years of bitter partisan warfare over spending,
taxes and President Barack Obama's healthcare law that twice brought
the nation to the brink of defaulting on its obligations.
The vote was a victory for Republican House Speaker John Boehner,
who has been repeatedly rebuked by the conservative, Tea Party wing
of his caucus. This time, however, he demonstrated he could steer a
budget compromise through the deeply divided chamber and that
Republicans were capable of avoiding the brinkmanship that has
marked the past three years.
"Is it perfect, does it go far enough? No, not at all," Boehner said
of the budget deal during a day-long House debate.
"It's going to take a lot more work to get our arms around our debt
and our deficit, but this budget is a positive, positive step in
that direction," he added.
The budget measure won a strong majority of House Republicans and
split the Tea Party activists that have made Boehner's three years
as Speaker so challenging. Some of the House's most conservative
members, such as Louisiana's John Fleming and Blake Farenthold of
Texas, voted yes.
The 62 Republican "no" votes, out of 232, included retiring Tea
Party firebrand Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Justin Amash of
Michigan, who regularly opposes Boehner.
But many lawmakers were skeptical that the deal, negotiated by
Republican Representative Paul Ryan and Democratic Senator Patty
Murray, will become a template for cooperation in 2014.
Chances for ambitious deficit reduction or reforming outdated
immigration and tax laws were still remote.
"I fear this will be a one-time moment because I see no indication
of flexibility on other key fiscal issues or bills like immigration
reform," Representative Chris Van Hollen, a member of the House
Democratic leadership, told Reuters.
The problem, according to lawmakers interviewed by Reuters, is that
the Murray-Ryan budget deal did not attack deep philosophical issues
that divide Democrats and Republicans, such as reining in expensive
social programs and ending some tax breaks for the wealthy.
"To me, a real bipartisan deal is when both sides really get into
the crux of solving a problem. Let's face it, this was a skate-by
solution," said Republican Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee.
At least for now, Republicans, chastened by October's bruising
shutdown fight, were showing little appetite for a repeat anytime
soon.
A first test will come in early 2014, when Congress needs to raise
the federal debt limit again. The borrowing cap has become a
perennial pressure point for Republicans to make demands for deep
spending cuts.
[to top of second column] |
SPENDING CUTS EASED
The Murray-Ryan pact approved on Thursday does nothing to stem the
worrisome growth of the $17 trillion federal debt, but it locks in
spending levels for two fiscal years, eliminating the threat of
another federal shutdown until October 1, 2015.
Congressional appropriators still will have to pass legislation
implementing the budget deal. Their first deadline is coming up on
January 15, when current agency funding runs out.
By allowing a $63 billion increase in spending on federal agencies
and discretionary programs over two years in exchange for other
budget savings, it reduces the harmful effects of the across-the
board sequester cuts that have hit every government program from
medical research to military weapons development.
Before the House passed the budget accord, Ryan hailed the fact that
the deal provides some $23 billion in additional deficit reduction
over 10 years.
"This bill saves more than if we did nothing," Ryan said.
Those savings allowed many Republicans to set aside their objections
to higher near-term spending and may help burnish Ryan's credentials
as a pragmatic deal-maker as he considers whether to seek the
Republican presidential nomination in 2016.
SPEND NOW, SAVE LATER
The deal survived a barrage of criticism from conservative political
groups, which argued that it will increase near-term spending in
exchange for savings in future years.
The Heritage Foundation said the deal's promised savings may never
materialize.
"It spends long before it saves," the conservative group said in a
blog posting.
Further underscoring Republican divisions, Senate Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell will vote against the measure next week in that
chamber, a source close to the Kentucky Republican said. McConnell,
facing a primary re-election challenge from a conservative Tea Party
candidate, objects to the increase in spending.
Democrats also presented a challenge to the measure, demanding an
extension of long-term unemployment benefits for about 1.3 million
Americans that expire at year-end. This was thwarted by Republicans.
Democrats vowed to come back in January to work on retroactively
extending the benefits.
(Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell and Susan Heavey;
editing by
Fred Barbash, Krista Hughes, Cynthia Osterman and Lisa Shumaker)
[© 2013 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2013 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
