Tipsheet

Obama Administration Promises Veto of GOP Budget

As a part of the budget deal struck last August, automatic budget cuts will hit the federal budget across the board starting next year. Republicans in Congress have been working to try to identify a spending cuts package that doesn't slash Pentagon and Homeland Security funding.

The proposed budget from the House GOP would instead make steeper cuts in social services - like the food stamp program, which is at an all time high - and make cuts to Obamacare. Democrats in Congress have supported many of the GOP's budget proposals, and yet the Obama Administration is in favor of a blanket veto no matter what.

The Associated Press writes that Obama wants the GOP to "work with him to produce a larger deficit-cutting package," yet at the same time will refuse any budget that cuts any programs "below levels agreed to in last summer's budget pact." That effectively means that President Obama is unwilling to discuss anything other than the across-the-board cuts that are already scheduled to take place. This is pure incoherency coming out of the White House.

A gentle reminder about the Democrats' ability to be responsible stewards of the federal budget: it has been over 1000 days since Senate Democrats passed a budget. The Obama Administration's budget proposals have received zero votes in Congress despite multiple votes. (That's zero votes from anyone, including Democrats and Independents.) Yet the Obama Administration sees it fit to make blanket declarations about what is and isn't on the table and threats to veto any form of a budget that comes out of Congress. That's not governance. That's pure, unabashed ideological politicking. Who's the obstructionist now?