Budget Plan is a Rocky Road

 As the deadline approaches for congress to reach a decision on the budget, tensions are running high. Many are getting exasperated now as a plan for test votes failed. The house republicans and the senate democrats were each supposed to send their version of the bill to be voted on but Senator Mitch McConnell from Kentucky refused to move on as agreed. According to a N.Y. Times article, many congress members expressed that the president needs to help guide the debate if the budget is ever going to be passed.

“The truth of the matter is this: This debate, as important as it is, will not be decided by House Republicans or Senate Democrats negotiating with each other or past each other. The debate will be decided when the president leads these tough negotiations, and right now that is not happening.”

 The current proposals, $61 billion in cuts sought by house republicans and an alternative $10 billion in cuts put forward by senate democrats, are still not reasonable enough for the bill to pass. It will be a while before the tricky balance is found and the bill can be passed but it would certainly speed up the process if Obama were to intervene and help guide debates. It is important that they are able to decide before March 18 to avoid a government shutdown.