Currently in Vogue: Ringing the Deficit Alarm
By CARL HULSE
NYT
WASHINGTON — Deficits finally matter.
After years of citing national security, social necessity and economic crisis as sufficient justification to pass costly legislation without paying for it, members of Congress are getting cold feet about continually adding to the national vat of red ink.
In the House, the leadership was forced this week to jettison popular health insurance subsidies and cut a major tax-and-spending measure in half in a desperate effort to round up votes from moderate and conservative Democrats. In the Senate, 26 Republican senators balked at an emergency war funding bill — an almost unthinkable position for them in the past — complaining that it was bloated and irresponsible.
Both measures ultimately passed as Congress made a messy pre-Memorial Day exit. But lawmakers say they appear to have reached a turning point when it comes to routine deficit spending. The new attitude could reshape the way Congress does its fiscal business the rest of this year and into the future, and potentially constrain President Obama and Democrats as they pursue their agenda.
Democrats are already ducking demands that they produce a budget for 2011, well aware that it would be very difficult to balance the conflicting interests of liberal lawmakers pushing for more spending and the centrists and fiscal conservatives who want cuts.
(More here.)
NYT
WASHINGTON — Deficits finally matter.
After years of citing national security, social necessity and economic crisis as sufficient justification to pass costly legislation without paying for it, members of Congress are getting cold feet about continually adding to the national vat of red ink.
In the House, the leadership was forced this week to jettison popular health insurance subsidies and cut a major tax-and-spending measure in half in a desperate effort to round up votes from moderate and conservative Democrats. In the Senate, 26 Republican senators balked at an emergency war funding bill — an almost unthinkable position for them in the past — complaining that it was bloated and irresponsible.
Both measures ultimately passed as Congress made a messy pre-Memorial Day exit. But lawmakers say they appear to have reached a turning point when it comes to routine deficit spending. The new attitude could reshape the way Congress does its fiscal business the rest of this year and into the future, and potentially constrain President Obama and Democrats as they pursue their agenda.
Democrats are already ducking demands that they produce a budget for 2011, well aware that it would be very difficult to balance the conflicting interests of liberal lawmakers pushing for more spending and the centrists and fiscal conservatives who want cuts.
(More here.)
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