In a phone interview Thursday evening, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) preemptively struck back against the idea, pushed by some Republicans, that Democrats got rolled in the spending cut fight."The total number of cuts has never been as important as where the cuts come from," Schumer told TPM. "We've made good headway in getting some of their most reckless cuts off the table."
The pushback comes as Democrats and Republicans work toward a six-month agreement to fund the government that will cut over $30 billion in current spending. That's significantly less than the $61 billion the Republican House passed. But it's also just about the same number the House GOP leadership originally endorsed.
In February, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) boasted: "Never before has Congress undertaken a task of this magnitude. The cuts in this
will represent the largest reduction in discretionary spending in the history of our nation."Then the Tea Party revolted. The first proposal was unacceptably tepid for conservatives in the GOP, who sent them back to the drawing board. Now, though, it looks like the final number will land in the same ballpark.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/04/schumer-dems-didnt-get-screwed-in-spending-fight.php
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