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McConnell: Senate GOP Will Not Offer Substitute Budget Alternative
 Sunday, March 15, 2009
6:30 PM

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told ABC's This Week that his caucus would not offer a substitute budget alternative to the Democrats' fiscal year (FY) 2010 blueprint, which will be based primarily on President Obama's budget outline.

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"[W]e are going to offer a number of amendments to the Democratic proposal," McConnell said. When pressed about whether Republicans would offer a "comprehensive" budget that addresses the tradeoffs with respect to tax and spending policies, as opposed to "rifle shot" amendments, the minority leader responded that the GOP intends to "absolutely reformulate" the Democrats' budget through the amendment process.

"Whether you have a comprehensive approach or whether you offer an amendment approach is something that parliamentarians can debate, but the point is we're going to have alternatives, just like we had alternatives when they offered the massive stimulus package," he added.

McConnell also took the opportunity to criticize the Obama administration's long term fiscal agenda, arguing that the White House's proposals would double the national debt in five years and triple it over the next decade.




House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) announced last week that the FY 2010 budget resolution will likely see floor consideration prior to the two-week Easter recess that begins on April 6. Thus, look for the House Budget Committee to unveil and mark up the blueprint sometime next week, followed by floor action the week of March 30.

It was unclear at presstime when the Senate Budget Committee will consider its budget resolution, though one key Democrat has already voiced reservations over some of President Obama's proposals. Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) said during a March 10 hearing that the cap-and-trade proposal will be "extraordinarily difficult to accomplish," even under the fast-track procedure called reconciliation.




"We are a large oil and gas producer, we are a large coal producer," Conrad said of his home state, adding that he believes it "unlikely that climate change legislation will pass that doesn’t have some allocations reserved for especially hard hit industries."

Citing the so-called "Byrd rule," Conrad expressed skepticism that climate change legislation could move under the reconciliation process, which limits debate time and prevents a Senate filibuster. 

"And I hope people are thinking very carefully about how these things intersect," Conrad said.

The Senate's chief budget writer also voiced resistance to the White House's proposal to reduce subsidies for agricultural producers, including direct payments to the largest farms and scaling back crop insurance. The administration is also proposing to eliminate cotton storage credits and funding for the Resource Conservation and Development program.

After calling the most recent farm bill fiscally responsible and reminding colleagues that it received 81 votes in the Senate, Conrad warned that reopening the legislation "is probably not a real propitious way to advance [the president's] budget."

© Copyright Capitol Hill Reports, Inc. (2009). No claim to original government works.