Why Two Senate Amigos’ Opposition to Ryan-Murray Budget Plan Matters

Senate Majority Leaders Harry Reid, D-Nev., said early Friday morning that there are “certain things” the chamber must do before leaving for the holidays next Friday. “We need to do those two important bills: the budget and defense,” he said. To pass both, Reid must find 60 votes to end debate. The budget resolution, which…

Budget Drama: Paul Ryan Subtly Calls Out Tea Party Republicans

Rep. Paul Ryan, House Budget Committee chairman and potential 2016 presidential nominee, stood Monday evening in an unfamiliar place: a briefing room near the Senate chamber. As he did, he did something unfamiliar for establishment Republicans: He called out the tea party. Ryan and Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., appeared Tuesday evening to…

Rand Paul Says Passing Any Budget Deal ‘May Be Impossible’ (Video)

“im·pos·si·ble adjective (ˌ)im-ˈpä-sə-bəl : unable to be done or to happen : not possible” That’s according to Merriam-Webster, the dictionary folks. And it’s also the odds Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is giving for Congress to pass a budget resolution. “It may be impossible,” Paul said during a major economic speech in Detroit when asked about…

Chiefs’ Equation: More Sequester Equals More Casualties. Lawmakers Don’t Check Their Arithmetic.

The Pentagon’s top generals continue sending mixed messages about the impacts of pending military spending cuts. The latest instance of the service chiefs’ uneven talking points came during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last Thursday. The chiefs at times said changing the schedule of the cuts would make them mostly manageable. At other times,…

The Federal Deficit Is Shrinking. That’s Bad News For U.S. Defense Sector.

The primary goal of sequestration was to scare Congress and the Obama administration into forging a long-term deficit deal with less-painful cuts. The secondary objective was to shrink a federal deficit that, at the time, surpassed $1 trillion. In terms of the paring the federal deficit, which remains Washington’s top domestic issue, sequestration is working.…

Meet the Members of Congress’ Special (Non-Binding) Budget Committee

Meet the Supercommittee Light. The emergency fiscal deal that became law early Thursday morning, among other things, mandates a House-Senate committee come up with a set of bipartisan budget recommendations. The panel will be composed of seven Democrats and seven Republicans from each chamber. Their task is to find what quickly became Washington’s new buzz phrase…