WASHINGTON — Republicans in Congress are heading into summer much as they did last year — instigating a showdown with the White House by demanding massive federal budget cuts in exchange for what used to be the routine task of
WASHINGTON — Republicans in Congress are heading into summer much as they did last year — instigating a showdown with the White House by demanding massive federal budget cuts in exchange for what used to be the routine task of raising the nation’s debt limit to pay the government’s bills.
House Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, is doubling down on the strategy that ended in mixed results last year, when the GOP and President Barack Obama struck a deal that brought the country back from the brink of federal default. In that go-round, both sides saw their approval ratings with voters plummet and the nation’s credit rating downgraded.
But Republicans are calculating that voters will reward them in their pursuit of the White House and Congress this November if they portray themselves as willing to tackle budget imbalances by slashing federal programs. By contrast, Obama has sought to lower the deficit with what the White House calls a balanced approach that mixes spending cuts with new taxes on corporations and wealthier Americans.
“The issue is the debt,” Boehner said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” “Dealing with our deficit and our debt would help create more economic growth in the United States, and it would lift this cloud of uncertainty that’s causing employers to wonder what’s next.”
The White House has appeared surprised that Republicans are already preparing for a do-over of last year’s debt-ceiling standoff, particularly since the deadline for raising the ceiling again will not come until the end of this year or early 2013. Democratic strategists seem pleased, however, to have yet another opportunity to portray Republicans as extreme and catering to the “tea party” conservatives.
“The speaker wants to go over the edge,” Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the minority leader, said on the same show. “This is not a responsible, mature, sensible place for us to go.”
The debate playing out in Congress will ricochet across the presidential campaign, as Mitt Romney, the GOP’s presumed nominee, has largely embraced the budgetary policies coming from Capitol Hill Republicans.
The administration has said it can continue paying the nation’s bills through the end of the year, but then will ask Congress to lift the debt limit to avoid defaulting on already accrued obligations. The nation’s debt load nearly doubled during the George W. Bush administration, then skyrocketed under Obama as tax revenues dropped and spending increased during the recession. The debt stands at $15.4 trillion.
Boehner wants to launch the debt debate now to frame the fall election while beginning to lay the groundwork for what Washington expects will be a jam-packed lame-duck session of Congress at the end of the year.
At that time, a confluence of events will require the attention of Congress and the White House, creating political leverage for both sides: Tax cuts enacted during the George W. Bush administration are set to expire, and deep budget cuts approved as part of last year’s debt-ceiling deal are scheduled in military and domestic spending.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the minority leader, suggested on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that this summer was the “perfect time” to begin these conversations.
The GOP is betting that voters will support the economic theory they espouse — that cutting back on federal spending and lowering taxes for corporations and wealthy Americans will create jobs.
Pushing the budget debate this summer will also help Boehner politically. He acknowledged Sunday the challenges in corralling his restive GOP majority, especially dozens of freshmen, many aligned with the tea party, who have pressed him repeatedly over the past two years to take even more conservative positions.
“Leaders need followers,” Boehner said. “And it’s hard to keep 218 frogs in a wheelbarrow long enough to get a bill passed.”
