(Reuters circulated the following article by Anna Willard on March 15.)
WASHINGTON — Reaching agreement on a 2006 U.S. budget is going to be difficult this year because the Senate is not trying hard enough, the chairman of the House of Representatives Budget Committee Jim Nussle said on Tuesday.
His comments came as the Senate continued discussion of its budget blue print, which includes less than the House’s plan for tax cuts and less in savings from popular benefit programs. The budget sets the parameters for spending each year and both chambers must work out their differences and agree one plan.
“I think the real challenge for us … is the Senate. It is very disappointing to watch what is going on over there,” said Nussle, an Iowa Republican.
“Last year they were at least, I think, trying. This year I think they almost gave up before they started the process.”
Congress failed to reach a budget agreement last year because of fighting among Republicans.
A handful of moderate Senators who are concerned about the record budget deficit wanted to make sure that any tax cuts were paid for with savings from other areas of the budget, an option that was not acceptable to conservatives, particularly in the House. Those moderates have already expressed concern about this year’s plan.
But newly appointed Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg said he would be surprised if there is no budget this year.
“Maybe he just got out of the wrong side of the bed, or ate something bad,” the New Hampshire Republican joked when asked about Nussle’s remarks.
Both the House and Senate are expected to vote on their budget plans this week. Then the two chambers will get together to try to work out the differences.
The Senate plan allows for $70 billion in tax cuts with special protection that makes them easier to pass compared with $45 billion in the House plan with that protection out of a total of $106 billion.
The Senate plan instructs lawmakers to find $32 billion in savings from popular automatic benefit programs including $14 billion from the Medicaid health care program for the poor.
The House plan is looking for savings of $69 billion from those programs and does not specify how much should come from Medicaid.
Oregon Republican Sen. Gordon Smith said he will introduce an amendment to the Senate budget this week to restore the $14 billion for Medicaid savings and set up a commission to look into how savings can be found.
The Senate is also expected to take up a provision on Wednesday that could open up Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.
The Senate is also expected to vote on a measure to undo Bush’s plan to cut operating subsidies for the Amtrak rail service.
“The elimination of Amtrak subsidies is not a recipe for a streamline railroad, it is not a recipe for a more efficient railroad. It is a recipe for a dead railroad,” said Sen. Robert Byrd, a West Virginia Democrat. (Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro and Joanne Kenen)