House Committee OKs Ryan’s Budget Blueprint for Fiscal Year 2013
On Wednesday, the House Budget Committee on Wednesday voted 19-18 to approve the House GOP fiscal year 2013 budget blueprint, which includes proposals to repeal the federal health reform law and alter Medicare and Medicaid, The Hill's "On the Money" reports.
Details on Vote
Two Republicans -- Justin Amash (Mich.) and Tim Huelskamp (Kan.) -- joined Democrats in voting against the plan by House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) (Wasson, "On the Money," The Hill, 3/21). Amash said he opposed the resolution because of concerns about its proposed cuts to mandatory spending as a replacement to automatic under the debt limit law (Holden, CQ Today, 3/21).
During an 11-hour markup session prior to the vote, committee Democrats proposed more than 24 amendments to encourage further debate about the plan's proposals ("On the Money," The Hill, 3/21). The committee rejected several amendments that would have revised the plan's Medicare provisions (CQ Today, 3/21).
Prospects for Budget Plan
According to "On the Money," the one-vote margin might indicate more Republican defections when the budget plan is considered on the House floor ("On the Money," The Hill, 3/21).
Roll Call reports that some Republicans -- including House Appropriations Chair Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) and Republican Study Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) -- are expecting some conservative caucus members to reject the budget plan (Newhauser, Roll Call, 3/22).
To secure the support of more conservative lawmakers, the blueprint includes instructions that allow six committees to identify an additional $261 billion in savings over 10 years ("On the Money," The Hill, 3/21). House Republican leaders are confident that it will be approved.
According to the AP/Sacramento Bee, Ryan's plan is "a dead letter in the Senate" and "not even a starting point for a dialogue with" President Obama (Taylor, AP/Sacramento Bee, 3/21).
House Republican leaders, anticipating yet another standstill on the budget with the Senate, noted that a continuing resolution will be necessary when the current fiscal year appropriations bills to fund the government expire in September.
Meanwhile, Jordan on Wednesday said RSC would introduce its own budget resolution next week (Roll Call, 3/22).
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