White House, GOP near two-year budget deal

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By Alexander Bolton – 10/26/15 12:35 PM EDT

Senior White House officials and congressional leaders are nearing a deal to raise the debt limit and set the budget for the next two years, say sources familiar with the talks.

The agreement is not yet final as negotiators still need to settle a dispute over controversial policy riders, but congressional leaders hope to announce something Monday evening, according to a Senate source. The deal would cover the 2016 and 2017 budget years. Continue reading “White House, GOP near two-year budget deal”

Ryan sets ambitious agenda if elected House speaker

WASHINGTON | By Richard Cowan

Paul Ryan revealed a bold to-do list when he agreed to run for speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, but to carry it out he will need a level of compromise and cohesion that has been sorely lacking on Capitol Hill for a long time.

If all goes as expected next week, the Wisconsin lawmaker and 2012 Republican vice-presidential nominee will replace John Boehner as House speaker. In announcing his willingness to seek the job, Ryan said in a statement to party colleagues:

“I know many of you want to show the country how to fix our tax code, how to rebuild our military, how to strengthen the safety net, and how to lift people out of poverty.”

Continue reading “Ryan sets ambitious agenda if elected House speaker”

Obama would veto any debt-ceiling bill with spending cuts

Obama would veto any debt-ceiling bill with spending cuts

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By Jordan Fabian – 10/23/15 02:53 PM EDT

President Obama would veto any bill to raise the debt limit if spending cuts are attached, the White House said Friday.

“Yes,” spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters when asked whether the president would kill such a measure.

It’s the clearest sign yet from the White House that Obama will only accept a clean bill to extend the nation’s borrowing authority before a fast-approaching Nov. 3 deadline. Continue reading “Obama would veto any debt-ceiling bill with spending cuts”

GOP to elect Speaker next week; conservatives skeptical of Ryan

By Scott Wong and Mike Lillis – 10/21/15 09:38 AM EDT

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is getting a cool reception from House conservatives, whom he said must endorse him before he’ll agree to run for Speaker.

Leaders of the House Freedom Caucus and their conservative allies said Wednesday they’re turned off by the list of conditions Ryan said must be met before he launches a bid for the top post.

In addition to backing from three major GOP caucuses, Ryan wants assurances he could cut back on fundraising trips so he can spend more time with his family and promises that conservatives won’t try to oust him from power.

“It’s like interviewing a maid for a job and she says, ‘I don’t clean windows, I don’t do floors, I don’t do beds, these are the hours I’ll work.’ It’s rubbing a lot of people the wrong way,” Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.), a co-founder of the Freedom Caucus, told The Hill. Continue reading “GOP to elect Speaker next week; conservatives skeptical of Ryan”

With Possible Shutdown Nearing, Obama Looks to Take Budget Fight to G.O.P.

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVISSEPT. 16, 2015

WASHINGTON — Congress hurtled toward a government shutdown on Tuesday, with Republicans threatening to block a budget deal if it includes financing for Planned Parenthood, as President Obama prepared to join the fight by pushing Republicans to scrap a multibillion-dollar tax advantage for private equity managers.

In a speech on Wednesday, Mr. Obama is expected to call on Republicans to end the tax break and use the funds to pay for spending increases on domestic and national security programs, and he will enlist business leaders to help him make his case.

In a session at the Business Roundtable in Washington, Mr. Obama will seek to shame Republicans who control Congress for failing to strike a deal with Democrats to fund the government’s operations, using the so-called carried-interest provision as an example of what he argues are misplaced priorities, according to White House officials. Continue reading “With Possible Shutdown Nearing, Obama Looks to Take Budget Fight to G.O.P.”

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