GOP budget battles; veto threat
Progressive Breakfast
Sen. Bob Corker blocks budget deal over “gimmick”
Politico:
“The Tennessee Republican on Tuesday said he would not sign the final budget deal because the agreement would let appropriators take unspent money from mandatory programs — like a crime victims fund or children’s insurance account — and use it to pay for other congressional priorities … GOP leaders can’t move forward until he signs it.”
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/budget-bob-corker-stall-117430.html?hp=lc1_4
“Spending pressure” in Congress could override GOP budget.
NYT:
“The House and the Senate Armed Services Committees are drafting legislation … breaking military spending caps … A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing measures to speed the Food and Drug Administration’s approval process for drugs and medical devices, which would probably require additional spending. Senators Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio, and Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, introduced legislation on Tuesday to expand Pell Grants that the new budget deal is supposed to freeze.”
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/04/29/us/corker-stops-progress-of-budget-deal-even-as-pressure-for-more-spending-builds.html?referrer=
Veto threats for first GOP spending bills.
The Hill:
“The White House said the bill ‘fails’ to fund building upgrades on military bases and and expansions to medical facilities used by veterans. While it provides $4.6 billion above the 2015 funding level, it’s $1.2 billion less than Obama’s request. The administration said it also ‘strongly objects’ to the use of the Pentagon’s war fund to pay for infrastructure investments.”
http://thehill.com/policy/finance/240377-white-house-issues-veto-threats-for-first-two-gop-spending-bills