Republican leaders have been running something of a budget boot camp for the 87 members of their freshman class in hopes of getting them to the point they can pitch the GOP’s 2012 blueprint to their constituents back home.
In a normal year, the complexities of a budget plan are tough enough to explain to rank-and-file House members, most of whom are focused on more narrow issues. But this year, Republican leaders promise to address politically charged entitlement programs — such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security — when they unveil their budget in the next few weeks.