Passage of short-term budget bill reveals deepening intra-GOP differences

The House measure, which is now expected to gain Senate approval, would keep the government running unti April 8 and does not include controversial policy "riders" to defund the health law and Planned Parenthood — elements that have become a sticking point within the Republican caucus.

Los Angeles Times: Republicans Split, But House Approves Stopgap Budget Bill
The GOP-led House approved a short-term spending bill Tuesday but only after dozens of Republicans rejected the measure, forcing party leaders to rely on Democrats to achieve passage and help skirt a threatened government shutdown (Mascaro, 3/15).

The Washington Post: House Approves Funding Bill Keeping Government Open Until April 8
The House approved a resolution Tuesday that would keep the government running through early April, even as dozens of Republicans signaled that they would no longer support short-term budget fixes. … Complicating the effort to resolve this year's budget are two upcoming events: the unveiling of the House Republican budget proposal for next year, with its politically perilous recommendations for entitlement reform; and the need for Congress to approve an increase in the federal debt limit (Kane and Sonmez, 3/15).

The Wall Street Journal: House Approves Spending Cuts
The new measure, the sixth such stopgap bill, would fund the government until April 8. Many government operations would be suspended after that date unless Congress passed a new funding mechanism. House conservatives complained that spending was being handled piecemeal and that the bill omitted several policy-related provisions, or "riders." These included measures to defund the new health law and to cut money for Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The group provides abortions as well as other health services for women, though tax dollars do not pay for abortions (Bendavid and Hook, 3/16).

Kaiser Health News: Health On The Hill: Health Law Funding A GOP Sticking Point In Spending Bill
Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey and the Washington Post's Amy Goldstein join KFF's Jackie Judd to talk about these Hill developments. Watch the video (3/15).