...or should I more accurately reference ram-rod it thru
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Obama letter stalls war fundingAs 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.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) strongly signaled Tuesday that there would be no turning back on Medicaid and that the leadership instead hopes to find the needed savings by paring back Medicare provisions affecting physician payments. A 21 percent reduction in reimbursements could begin to bite by the end of this week, and while Democrats could still block this from happening, the so-called doc fix is sure to run for a shorter time than the bill now allows.
?I want to wait until the extenders bill is resolved,? Obey told POLITICO of the separate war funding measure. ?All I can do is sit and wait until reality strikes home, and then maybe we?ll get somewhere.?
The tougher stance on war funding comes as Obama faces growing skepticism over his Afghanistan policy.
Ultimately, the Pentagon is confident it will get its $33 billion request, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates is sure to press the case for action before July 4 when he appears Wednesday before the Senate Appropriations Committee.
But there is a real possibility that the fight could spill past the recess. And going into the November elections, Obama had hoped to avoid an embarrassing split with his party over war funding ? bringing back echoes of Lyndon Johnson and Vietnam.
Even strong supporters of the U.S. policy express concern about the worsening tone of the funding fight. ?It is a very difficult situation,? said Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), second to Obey and chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee. ?I?m worried, I must say.?
As for Obey himself, there?s no hiding his skepticism. ?It is a huge problem for me,? he said of the increased military commitments. ?Let me put it this way. I am confused, and I have a right to be.?
Now in his last months in Congress, Obey is a fierce advocate of education and a close Pelosi ally. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has supported him on seeking more aid to avert teacher layoffs. But the chairman remains frustrated with the White House, which has sent mixed signals on how hard it would fight for the money.
The initial goal had been $23 billion in aid, but in recent days, Obey has whittled this back to about $10 billion and has been shopping different offsets from defense and some of the administration?s own priorities in the giant Recovery Act of 2009.
The White House is now actively involved in these talks, but of Obama?s letter, Obey said the missing ingredient was an official budget request.
?The letter is nice,? the chairman said. ?We still don?t have an official budget request.?
Isn't that what reconciliation is for??
