House Passes Bill to Extend Funding

Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Washington (CNN)—The House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that would extend funding for the federal government by another two weeks—through March 18—while cutting $4 billion from current spending levels.

The bill was approved in a 335-91 vote. Republicans overwhelmingly backed the measure while Democrats were sharply divided.

The legislation, which still needs to be cleared by the Senate, would trim spending in earmarks and other programs agreed to by leaders of both political parties. It would prevent a government shutdown after Friday.

While the bill was expected to clear the Republican-controlled House, some Democrats have indicated a preference for a month-long extension. The White House has voiced concern that the passage of a series of short-term funding bills could create a climate of uncertainty and hamper prospects for a stronger economic recovery.

President Barack Obama called House Speaker John Boehner before the vote Tuesday to discuss the measure, according to White House press secretary Jay Carney.
Government shutdown avoided for now.

Carney indicated the administration would be willing to back a package cutting up to $8 billion from current spending levels over a period lasting up to five weeks. The cuts, he told reporters, would be credited toward further decreases in a future comprehensive spending plan covering the remainder of the fiscal year, which expires September 30.

Boehner, an Ohio Republican, brushed aside questions about a longer extension, telling reporters that Democrats should have approached him earlier about that possibility.

“I think we’re taking the responsible path forward,” Boehner said. “The American people want us to get our fiscal house in order, and this is a step in the right direction.”

The last Democratic Congress went on a “spending spree,” declared Kentucky Representative Harold Rogers, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Now “we’re trying to slow down and stop” it.

Democrats have repeatedly argued Republicans are exacerbating the budget crunch by refusing to allow an expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

Congress should use the two weeks provided by the bill for a “reality check,” said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California. “I just want to know where everyone was when the deficit grew in the eight years of the Bush administration.”

Even if the two-week funding measure passes Congress and is signed into law, the White House and congressional Republicans will remain in a bitter standoff over how best to fund the government for the rest of the current fiscal year.