Republicans Start 3-day Push To Reduce Spending
The government budget drama continues, following President Obama's $3.73 trillion spending plan on Monday.
Republicans are ready to start on Tuesday a three-day push on a blueprint for reducing spending for the remainder of the 2011 budget year.
The Democratic-majority in Congress last year never passed a budget to manage spending for the federal government for the fiscal year that runs Oct. 1-Sept. 30. As a result, Congress has been approving short-term extensions of 2010's budget.
Congress has approved a continuation of that budget to keep government operating until March 4. If the House, Senate and President Obama cannot come to an agreement before March 4 for the rest of the year, that could trigger a government shutdown. Though Republicans are not saying they are willing to do that and prefer to force deep cuts in spending, they haven't ruled it out.
"It's obviously still a possibility because the government ceases to be fund, government agencies, on March 4, and that's really what this is all about," said Rep. Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee and Republican point-man on spending.
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