Dem leaders face revolt on budget plan

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

House Democratic leaders may be forced to yank a key budget measure from the floor this week amid mounting problems with the left and center, according to lawmakers and aides.

Leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus say they are ready to deploy the full weight of their 90-member group to reject the legislation, which they say favors the Pentagon over domestic programs. Meanwhile, members of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition have their own problems with the bill, which they say is far too expensive.

Facing sharp pushback from both corners of the caucus, House Democratic leaders are considering pulling the plug on the bill to set federal spending limits. They'll need to decide within hours — likely at a leadership meeting Tuesday evening — whether to risk an embarrassing defeat just ahead of the party’s annual retreat and its 100 day mark in the majority.

The showdown between progressives and fiscal hawks could be the first major policy clash of the new majority, forcing Democratic leaders to decide which flank of their party to squeeze for votes to carry the bill across the finish line.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/09/federal-spending-bill-house-democrats-1263550

[marylandblue]

1. This is as damaging to democracy as anything Trump does.

If neither party can govern, we might as well have a dictator.

[Dave Starsky]

6. I, for one, would not prefer a dictator.

Though you might.

I'm seeing more and more people in this forum who think Putin is a pretty cool guy.

[oldsoftie]

8. Only when the topic is Venezuela. There, his "assistance" is lauded.

[marylandblue]

11. I don't want a dictator. But when neither party can govern effectively, democracy breaks down.

[ananda]

2. They will work it out.

That's what Dems do.

[NewJeffCT]

3. I hope everybody can agree with defunding DoJ

until they provide the Mueller report, unredacted, to Congress.

[DeminPennswoods]

4. The Pentagon/DoD has more money that it knows what

to do with or spend productively. They do NOT need to absorb 1/4 of the Federal Budget. Having been a fairly low level DoD civil servant where the rubber hits the road, I've seen it.

[watoos]

7. Yip, the Pentagon apparently has money it doesn't need,

if it can give a billion dollars to Trump's wall.

[paleotn]

10. That's not where the DoD is over funded...

That money was appropriated by Congress for construction and repairs at military installations like Camp Lejeune, damaged in hurricane Florence and other military roach motels.

https://www.wunc.org/post/hurricane-florence-repairs-camp-lejeune-will-cost-billions-and-more-big-storms-are-likely

[DeminPennswoods]

13. MILCON is a bit of a different animal

Just because of the nature of construction, it often takes years for this money to be spent, it's usually fenced off from other DoD appropriations.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. Whatever they decide to do with the Budget, the Senate will have their turn to do their own

(with the technicality that the House version would be the "originator" since the House has the power of the purse). Then both chambers have to reconcile the 2 pieces of legislation (assuming the Senate doesn't vote to automatically pass the House version which it is guaranteed that they won't). So they still have a ways to go with this effort (i.e., some kind of Joint conference will eventually happen at some point in the future).

[paleotn]

9. Compromise, folks. Compromise.

[YOHABLO]

12. We can not continue to shovel money into the Pentagon without an audit. Seriously

[WhoWoodaKnew]

14. This is the way Congress is supposed to work.