House Republican leaders set to break US budget deal

[muriel_volestrangler]

Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives are ready to break a hard-fought budget deal with Democrats as they try to quell a revolt by conservatives who are insisting on deeper spending cuts ahead of the November elections.

House Republican aides said on Tuesday that House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor were pressing for a modest $19 billion reduction of discretionary spending caps in this year's Republican budget plan.

The August 2011 deal to end a summer debt limit drama - which nearly prompted a first-ever default on U.S. Treasury debt - called for a $1.047 trillion cap on discretionary spending for fiscal 2013. Conservative House Republicans last week launched an effort to reduce that amount by as much as $116 billion, presenting Boehner a new leadership challenge.

But even the $1.028 trillion compromise figure that Boehner and Cantor were insisting that members in the Republican-controlled House support would cause problems with spending bills later this year, Republican aides said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/14/usa-politics-budget-idUSL2E8EE0DO20120314

Of course. Because Republicans are all scorpions, for whom a 'deal' means 'a way of lulling my enemy into a false sense of security'.

[babylonsister]

1. What a surprise. We know they're trying to break this fragile economy, and we know

their word is good for nuthin'.

[DCBob]

2. I suppose they are technically correct.. its a ceiling not a floor.

Its troubling the Dems did not insist the bill to be worded better so there was no wiggle room like this. Looks like another ugly battle coming. yuk.