Congress to vote on short-term spending plan

As details of this hard-fought compromise continue to emerge, conservative opposition to it is taking hold. Meanwhile, other interests express concern about the impact of specific cuts, such as those to community health centers.

The Associated Press: Congress Voting Thursday On Budget-Cutting Plan
Lawmakers were to vote Thursday on a long-overdue spending measure funding the day-to-day budgets of federal agencies through September. Later in the day, Republicans dominating the House will launch debate on a 2012-and-beyond plan that promises to cut the long-term budget blueprint Obama laid out in February by more than $6 trillion (Taylor, 4/14).

The New York Times: As Spending Plan Details Emerge, So Does Dissent
House Republican leaders sought on Wednesday to contain growing conservative opposition to the new 2011 spending deal as the House prepared for contentious back-to-back votes on budget measures. … The resistance to the spending measure came after reviews of the proposal found that some significant cuts, including some involving health care, are not expected to produce real savings. This is because the money was not likely to be spent for years though it can be counted as a current reduction under budget rules (Hulse, 4/13).

Politico: CBO: Small 2011 Payoff From Big Cuts
On the eve of Thursday's House vote, new cost estimates of the White House-Republican budget deal are a double-edged sword for GOP leaders: confirming historic cuts but projecting the immediate deficit impact this year at less than a half billion dollars (Rogers, 4/13).

The Texas Tribune: Federal Budget Deal Could Shutter Health Centers
The Congressional budget deal reached in Washington this weekend could have dire implications for Texas' federally qualified health centers — clinics that provide comprehensive care for the uninsured. José Camacho, executive director of the Texas Association of Community Health Centers, said the 2011 budget proposal strips $600 million in funding from the federal clinics nationally, representing up to a 10 percent cut in current services. Add to that cuts in family planning and women's health services at the state level, Camacho said, and six or seven of Texas' 68 federally qualified health centers could face possible closure (Ramshaw, 4/13).