U.S. House Puts Off Vote Seeking $50 Billion in Spending Cuts [View All]

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http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aq3Gac44NGVw

U.S. House Puts Off Vote Seeking $50 Billion in Spending Cuts

Oct. 20 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. House Republicans, unable to line up enough support for a budget-cutting plan targeting programs such as food stamps, Medicaid and student loans, put off a vote on the package until next week.

House Republican leaders said late yesterday they now want to include even more reductions in the measure, such as across- the-board cuts to discretionary spending, taking back money not yet spent from some programs and permanently canceling 98 other programs.

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Blunt said he isn't ready to eliminate a raise for members of Congress as part of the budget-trimming. ``I'm personally supportive of a cost-of-living increase for federal employees, and I think that should include members of the Congress,'' he said.

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The provisions the House plans to vote on next week are part of a budget-cutting strategy Republican leaders outlined earlier this month. The vote was postponed after some members objected to voting just on the cuts to food stamps, Medicaid and student loans, saying they want to be sure all agencies, including the departments of Defense and Homeland Security, would be considered for trims in discretionary spending.
Many moderate Republicans have problems with targeting cuts on students and the poor, said Representative John Spratt of South Carolina, the senior Democrat on the Budget Committee.

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