House Plans to Introduce 2 Week Continuing Resolution, Senate Says It Wants Similar Approach
During the week of February 28, 2011, Speaker of the House Boehner (R) plans to bring a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to the House floor for a vote, as funding for the Federal government expires March 4, 2011.
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According to the Speaker’s blog, this short-term CR would keep the government running through March 18, 2011, while cutting $4 billion in spending. In particular, he says the CR would cut government spending by “eliminating earmark slush funds and terminating several programs targeted in President Obama’s FY12 budget and the House-passed H.R.1.”
He adds that the two week extension would give Senate Democrats additional time to consider H.R.1 -- House-passed legislation to fund the government through October 2011.
(On February 18, 2011, the House passed H.R. 1 which would approve fiscal year 2012 appropriations but had numerous amendments prohibiting the use of these funds for specific government programs and requirements. See ITT’s Online Archives or 02/22/11 and 02/23/11 news, 11022202 and 11022316, for BP summaries.)
Reid Says Senate Wants Similar Approach, but May Need CR to Last 30 Days
Jon Summers, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, issued a statement in response to reports that House Republican leaders were considering the two-week CR.
He said, “The plan Republicans are floating today sounds like a modified version of what Democrats were talking about. We’re glad they think it’s a good idea, but we should keep our focus on what we need to do to cut spending and keep our economy growing in the long-term. If we need a little more time to agree on a responsible path forward, we should pass a short-term CR for no longer than the next month.”
Senate Majority Leader Reid had previously announced that during the week of February 28, 2011, he was also planning to introduce a CR, but one that would last 30 days, in order to give the two sides time to negotiate government spending cuts. (See ITT’s Online Archives or 02/23/11 news, 11022318, for BP summary.)