Budget Approved With No GOP Votes
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on April 3rd, 2009 4:35 am by HL
Budget Approved With No GOP Votes
The House and Senate approved federal budgets of about $3.5 trillion with no Republican support, “a sign of deep partisan tensions likely to color Congressional efforts to enact major policy initiatives sought by President Obama,” the New York Times reports.
“Democrats said the two budgets, which will have to be reconciled after a two-week Congressional recess, cleared the way for health care, energy and education overhauls pushed by the new president.”
The Washington Post notes the biggest dispute between the two chambers “is whether to use a powerful procedural shortcut that could allow Obama’s health, education and energy initiatives to pass the Senate with 51 votes rather than the usual 60, eliminating the need to win over any Republicans.”
