Budget agreement has been reached

[RogueBeaver]

Ryan and Murray will hold a presser in a few minutes. Details coming out now on Twitter.

[King]

I already told you guys (though I'm still not sure my source was correct )

[Citizen (The) Doctor]

The question is whether this will get through the House floor without the majority party fraying again.

[Lambsbread]

Hooray for America.

[badgate]

Drudge just sent me this push notification on my phone: " BREAKING...RADIO HOST TO PAUL RYAN 'THIS IS MIKEY MOUSE'...DEVELOPING"

[publicunofficial]

Yay! One of my Senators did something notable/important!

The question is whether this will get through the House floor without the majority party fraying again.

I think Ryan has more clout with both the establishment and TEA types in Congress than Boehner does with either. If he wants something, and Patty Murray also supports it, I'm sure he can find enough Democrat/Republican votes to push it through.

[traininthedistance]

Yay! One of my Senators did something notable/important!

The question is whether this will get through the House floor without the majority party fraying again.

I think Ryan has more clout with both the establishment and TEA types in Congress than Boehner does with either. If he wants something, and Patty Murray also supports it, I'm sure he can find enough Democrat/Republican votes to push it through.

Had.

[Frodo]

And for those looking for details on the agreement....

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

So they swapped out $63 billion in cuts for an alleged $85 billion in spending decreases / fee increases (assuming that they don't undo what they did there), for a grand total of reducing the deficit by... $23 billion.

They should've stuck with the automatic cuts.

[Mr. Morden]

So they swapped out $63 billion in cuts for an alleged $85 billion in spending decreases / fee increases (assuming that they don't undo what they did there), for a grand total of reducing the deficit by... $23 billion.

They should've stuck with the automatic cuts.

They automatic cuts are really dumb though.  For example, the sequester, as currently written, forces the Defense Department to pay for 91% of an aircraft carrier.  It just slashes everything by a fixed amount, without regard to whether it makes any sense.

[Meeker]

If this gets through both chambers (and it's looking like it will), then Ryan should become Speaker. He'll have proven himself to be the only person capable of bringing the House Republican Conference into the normal flow of government. That's a big deal.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

So they swapped out $63 billion in cuts for an alleged $85 billion in spending decreases / fee increases (assuming that they don't undo what they did there), for a grand total of reducing the deficit by... $23 billion.

They should've stuck with the automatic cuts.

But the cuts are bad, so why keep them when we have a perfectly viable not-as-bad option that does the same thing?

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

So they swapped out $63 billion in cuts for an alleged $85 billion in spending decreases / fee increases (assuming that they don't undo what they did there), for a grand total of reducing the deficit by... $23 billion.

They should've stuck with the automatic cuts.

They automatic cuts are really dumb though.  For example, the sequester, as currently written, forces the Defense Department to pay for 91% of an aircraft carrier.  It just slashes everything by a fixed amount, without regard to whether it makes any sense.

I was under the impression that it cut appropriations individually, not every choice in spending made by departments.  Granted, I'm sure some of this (especially in the military) does mean some absurd things, but at least they were cutting something (especially in the over-bloated military).  Sure, it'd be better to make cuts that actually make sense, but left to juts do it on their own, it's pretty clear it'll never get done.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Is Boehner growing a pair, at last?

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

The end of both parties standing on the side line watching its opposition slide in the polls is over. Both parties are looking for consensus as the new yr begins. Automatic cuts are replaced by budgetary or planned cuts.

[badgate]

Is Boehner growing a pair, at last?

There are whisperings that he told Texas lawmakers immigration reform would come after the filing deadline passed (Dec 9), and he hired Tallent who everyone says is someone you hire to get stuff done.

[Antonio the Sixth]

The end of both parties standing on the side line watching its opposition slide in the polls is over. Both parties are looking for consensus as the new yr begins. Automatic cuts are replaced by budgetary or planned cuts.

Are you trying to imitate t_host?

[Landslide Lyndon]

McConnell will vote against the deal.

http://dailycaller.com/2013/12/11/source-mcconnell-will-vote-against-budget-deal-brokered-by-paul-ryan/

A true leader!

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

Well at least it's something.

[TNF]

RIP Working Class

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

Why are Democrats celebrating this?

[Mr. Morden]

So they swapped out $63 billion in cuts for an alleged $85 billion in spending decreases / fee increases (assuming that they don't undo what they did there), for a grand total of reducing the deficit by... $23 billion.

They should've stuck with the automatic cuts.

They automatic cuts are really dumb though.  For example, the sequester, as currently written, forces the Defense Department to pay for 91% of an aircraft carrier.  It just slashes everything by a fixed amount, without regard to whether it makes any sense.

I was under the impression that it cut appropriations individually, not every choice in spending made by departments.  Granted, I'm sure some of this (especially in the military) does mean some absurd things, but at least they were cutting something (especially in the over-bloated military).  Sure, it'd be better to make cuts that actually make sense, but left to juts do it on their own, it's pretty clear it'll never get done.

I'm confused about your opinion then.  As I said, the sequester imposed cuts, but those cuts were made in a very stupid across the board way, that everyone agreed was problematic.  Now, with this budget deal, there will still be cuts, but they'll be applied in a less stupid way.  So do you think this budget deal is better than the status quo or not?  Why *not* make the cuts in a somewhat less stupid way?

Yes, I understand that you might prefer a larger deal than this (a "grand bargain"), but that was never going to happen.  Given the choice between leaving the sequester alone, and modifying it with this budget deal, what is the argument for leaving the sequester alone?

[Likely Voter]

If the GOP shut down the government again it would be a political win for the Dems. Paul Ryan admitted this himself on talk radio last night saying they wanted to run in 2014 against Obamacare and another shut down would have distracted their message and hurt the party.


If you wanted to play craven pure politics, then Dems should have held out for the unemployment benefits extension and let the GOP shut down the government over stopping that national nightmare.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

No UI extension? Pathetic.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

We're succumbing to Republican terrorist tactics. Jesus Christ...

Pass a clean CR or get out. If Republicans want to eviscerate the poor by taking away unemployment benefits, let them say so in a separate debate that doesn't involve fraying the fabric of our country.