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| Home Front: Politix |
| Obama letter stalls war funding |
| 2010-06-17 |
| As if the Gulf weren't enough, the White House now faces a spill of its own making in Congress this week, infuriating old Democratic allies and putting a hold on new war funding sought by President Barack Obama. Talks were under way Tuesday to extricate the administration by coming up with offsets to pay for new education assistance to avert teacher layoffs this fall. At the same time, renewed efforts began to salvage a $24 billion package of state Medicaid assistance, even if it means paring back a proposed 18-month fix of Medicare reimbursements for physicians. The backdrop in both cases is a Saturday night letter from Obama calling for action on education and Medicaid assistance but giving no direction on how to pay for them -- or how to win support in a deficit-conscious Congress. Leaked in advance to the Sunday newspapers, the letter caught party leaders by surprise, and with Obama largely absent from both fights to date, it was widely seen by Democrats as more political showmanship at their expense by the administration. Clearly annoyed, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called White House congressional liaison Phil Schiliro to her office Monday, and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey served notice that he would withhold action on Obama's new war funding until the dust clears on domestic spending issues. "It was a good and constructive meeting," Schiliro said of his session with Pelosi. But the speaker's good friend, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.) bluntly accused the White House of looking for political cover now, having come late to the fight of averting what many think will be a wave of public employee layoffs as state budget cuts hit home before November's elections. "So what is this, 'We asked Congress to do this in June'?" Miller said to POLITICO, referring to the Obama letter. "Well, we asked them to do it in December." Obey has been central to the fight over education aid and, in an interview, drew a direct link between war funding and progress on domestic priorities. He said he would withhold action on the war funds until there was some resolution on a major economic relief bill extending jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed and popular tax breaks for individuals and businesses. It's this package, now pending in the Senate, that carries the $24 billion for Medicaid. And going into test votes Wednesday, Democrats are still short of the 60 votes needed to cut off debate. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 drew a direct link between war funding and progress on domestic priorities. That'll do even more to peel off the left wing of the Democratic party, to see their so-beloved president fighting to fund his war in Afghanistan at the expense of health care and public union employees... even if what President Obama wants is both plus deficit spending. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-06-17 12:22 |
| #1 how to win support in a deficit-conscious Congress Really? Proximity to forced retirement is the only thing that's caused the Donks to show any concern at all |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-06-17 10:06 |