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Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Budget Summit Ends; No End in Sight for Impasse
Today's summit meeting on the FY 2008 budget process between President Bush and Congressional leaders has broken and, it's safe to say, the budget process for the year remains as broken as ever. Neither side retreated from its discretionary spending targets and the President showed no sign of backing away from any of his veto threats, leaving open the possibility of a budget showdown or even government shutdown later this year.
Noting the $22 billion difference between the President's and Congress' discretionary spending targets, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said, after the summit, "The difference is so small — why are we having all these veto threats?"
The most immediate question is what impact, if any, the stalemate might have on Senate Budget Committee deliberations regarding Jim Nussle's nomination to the post of OMB Director. Committee chair Kent Conrad (D-ND) said last week that the outcome of the summit would have a direct bearing on his committee's deliberations on Nussle.
Posted by Dana Chasin
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