Can Republicans govern? Budget 2016 could be biggest test.
| WASHINGTON
The new GOP-controlled Congress, keen to prove that Republicans can govern, is faced with its first big test in Governing 101: the president鈥檚 $4 trillion budget proposal, delivered to Congress听on Monday.
Appropriating money听to pay for government is a basic function of Congress. Now that Republicans rule the roost under the Capitol dome, they鈥檙e promising to tackle this job properly: to have both houses agree on a budget blueprint by听the听April 15听deadline, to work out the details in 12听annual听spending bills, to have both chambers agree on those bills, and send them to the president for his signature听in time for the start of a new fiscal year on听Oct. 1.
It鈥檚 a tall order. The last time Congress got to Step 1 鈥� agreeing on a budget blueprint 鈥� was 2009. Since then, it鈥檚 been a perilous process, remembered for fiscal cliffs, a budget showdown, and forced across-the-board cuts (the dreaded 鈥渟equester鈥�) that were never meant to be.
House speaker John Boehner (R) of Ohio and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R) of Kentucky both say there will be no more shutdowns or fiscal听cliffs. Yet both essentially declared the president鈥檚 budget dead on arrival 鈥� setting the stage for a fiscal food fight.
That doesn鈥檛 bode well for their governing pledge.
鈥淭o govern means to compromise,鈥� says William Hoagland, senior vice president听at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington think tank. 鈥淚f Republicans want to prove they can govern, then the president and Congress will have to show they can compromise.鈥�
As it stands, the president has started out with 鈥渁 very clear ideological position that is almost 180 degrees opposite of the Congress,鈥� says Mr. Hoagland, who has a long history of budget experience on the Hill.
The White House budget increases spending, raises taxes, and projects a $1.8 trillion trim to the deficit over a decade. Leaders of the House and Senate听budget committees,听on the other hand, plan a blueprint that balances the budget in 10 years. Republicans听oppose听tax and spending increases, though both parties are concerned about automatic spending cuts to the military.听
John Feehery, former spokesman for House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R) of Illinois, says it鈥檚 鈥渆ssential鈥� that Republicans return to the regular budget process.
鈥淚f Republicans do this right, and they pass all the appropriations bills in regular order and get them through the House and Senate, they can present them to the president in a series of legislation that makes it awfully difficult for the president to veto,鈥� he says.
At that point, he explains, the argument is no longer about the size of the pie, just the pieces of it 鈥� and which party鈥檚 priorities are included in those pieces.
Whether the Republicans succeed will come down to political will听and听patience.听鈥淭here鈥檚听definitely going to have to be compromise,鈥� says Feehery.
He听says he听is encouraged by Senator McConnell鈥檚 鈥減romise to govern鈥� as evidenced in last week鈥檚 passage of the Keystone pipeline bill. It gained the backing of nine Democrats after three weeks of debate and a听much more open amendment process than was afforded Republicans under former majority leader Harry Reid (D) of Nevada.
Also working in the leaders鈥� favor, he says, are voters. They may not care if Congress does its budget work, but sure do notice when it doesn鈥檛. Republican presidential candidates, especially听former Florida Gov.听Jeb Bush, will also want to see a听Congress that鈥檚 functioning again, Feehery says.
But even with a GOP majority, just approving a budget blueprint 鈥� which only requires a majority听vote听in both houses 鈥� could be difficult. Conservative hardliners in the House will make their demands, while moderate Republican senators facing tough election battles in blue or purple states will make theirs, says Hoagland.听Twenty-four Senate Republicans are up for election in 2016, compared to only 10 Democrats.
The process gets harder once committees take up to appropriation bills, which unlike the budget blueprint,will be subject to Democratic filibuster in the Senate and will have to clear a 60-vote threshold to pass. Republicans hold a 54-seat majority.
Even if听McConnell can keep all Republicans with him on key votes 鈥� also a tall order 鈥� he still needs six Democrats to pass spending bills.听
There鈥檚 simply no getting around it, if Republicans want to prove they can govern, they鈥檒l have to compromise. So will the president. On opening day of the budget process, neither seemed in a compromising mood.
