Congress approves budget resolutions

The House and Senate on Thursday approved their respective versions of the fiscal year 2010 budget resolution (HConRes85, SConRes13), both of which include deficit-neutral reserve funds for health care, CongressDaily reports (Sanchez/Friedman, CongressDaily, 4/3).

The House passed its version of the resolution by a 233-196 vote, with no Republican support and 20 Democrats dissenting (Bendavid/Hitt, Wall Street Journal, 4/3). The Senate approved its version of the resolution by a 55-43 margin with no Republican support and two Democrats dissenting (Stanton, Roll Call, 4/3). The resolutions will go to conference committee, where lawmakers will craft a compromise resolution, after a two-week congressional recess (Lochhead, San Francisco Chronicle, 4/3). However, "House and Senate staff are likely to quickly begin informal discussions on melding the two chambers' bills," according to Roll Call (Roll Call, 4/3).

Before the House passed its version of the resolution, the chamber voted 293-137 to reject a Republican alternative budget (H.AMDT.75) (Espo/Taylor, AP/Houston Chronicle, 4/3).

According to The Hill, "The Senate budget differs from Obama's in that it contains fewer specifics on how to fund initiatives like health care reform" (Alarkon/Rushing, The Hill, 4/3). Before the Senate passed its resolution, it voted on a number of amendments. The Senate approved an amendment (S.AMDT.759) that rejects Obama's plan to fund part of his health care expansion by reducing the tax deduction high-income U.S. residents can take for charitable donations. Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah), who sponsored the amendment, said, "The Senate sent a clear message to the president that we do not support increasing taxes on charitable contributions to try to cover the costs of health care reform" (Rowland/Lengell, Washington Times, 4/3). The Senate also voted 58-39 to reject an amendment (S.AMDT.805) by Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) that would have required beneficiaries of the Medicare prescription drug benefit who have annual incomes exceeding $85,000 for individuals or $170,000 for couples to pay a higher monthly premium than other enrollees (Clarke, CQ Today, 4/2).

The Senate also voted 60-38 to reject an alternative budget proposal (S.AMDT.882) offered by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) (Sanchez/McPike, CongressDaily, 4/2). McCain's plan called for a reduction in spending, largely from entitlement programs including Medicare and Medicaid (CQ Today, 4/2).

Prospects for Reform

The Washington Post reports the resolutions "would permit work to begin on the central goals of Obama's presidency," including an expansion of health care coverage for the uninsured (Montgomery, Washington Post, 4/3). However, according to the New York Times, "[the fact that] no House or Senate Republican joined Democrats and that Republicans heaped such tough criticism on the spending proposals made clear that enacting the various overhaul bills would be difficult" (Hulse, New York Times, 4/3).

According to the Post, the largest dispute between the House and Senate is whether to include budget reconciliation instructions to move health care legislation in the final compromise resolution (Washington Post, 4/3). According to the Washington Times, Democrats have indicated that they likely will include reconciliation instructions in a final House-Senate compromise resolution (Washington Times, 4/3). McClatchy/Miami Herald on Thursday examined budget reconciliation and its potential use in health care reform (Lightman, McClatchy/Miami Herald, 4/2).

Comments

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said, "This responsible budget will start cleaning up the mistakes of the past and make critical investments in our future," adding, "The Senate's budget reflects the fundamental priorities proposed by President Obama and recognizes that we cannot recover unless we make health care and education better and more affordable and reduce our reliance on oil" (Stanton, Roll Call, 4/3). Senate Budget Committee Chair Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said he was "delighted" with the budget. He added, "We've done a good job of preserving the president's key priorities, reducing our dependence on foreign energy, focusing on excellence in education carrying out health care reform and all while reducing the deficit by two-thirds" (Alarkon/Rushing, The Hill, 4/3).

The White House issued a statement saying that the House vote is "another step toward rebuilding our struggling economy."

However, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ken.) said, "The administration's budget simply taxes too much, spends too much and borrows too much at a moment when we can least afford it" (AP/Houston Chronicle, 4/3).

Broadcast Coverage

PBS' "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" on Thursday included an interview with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), during which she expresses her desire for bipartisan health care reform legislation (Woodruff, "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," PBS, 4/2).

PBS' "NewsHour" on Thursday also included an interview with House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), during which he discusses health care and the Republican budget alternative (Holman, " NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," PBS, 4/2).