House GOP Backs Off Spending Demands To Prevent Government Shutdown

Source: TPM

House Republicans have dropped their demands to cut spending on domestic programs, for the time being, and instead unveiled bipartisan legislation to keep the government funded through the end of the year at previously-agreed-upon levels.

The legislation, introduced this week by House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY), represents a shift in the GOP’s posture since taking over the House in January 2011. They have routinely used must-pass bills as a vehicle to advance budgetary goals, risking multiple government shutdowns and even a U.S. default.

But with the election less than two months away, Republicans recognize that touching off another showdown would be too politically dangerous. Senate Democrats have insisted for months that Republicans honor funding levels they agreed to in last year’s debt limit deal and have made clear they won’t budge from those numbers.

“I’m deeply disappointed that the House and Senate were unable to complete Appropriations bills before the end of the fiscal year,” Rogers said in a statement. “Unfortunately, with the Senate’s inaction and election-year politics in play, our committee’s bills will not be negotiated before the end of the fiscal year, and therefore a temporary funding Band-Aid is necessary to prevent a government shutdown.”

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