House OKs Two-Year Budget Agreement; Senate Action Likely This Week
The agreement raises the federal government's debt ceiling and averts both Medicare premium increases for some beneficiaries and hits to Social Security disability benefits, among other things.
The New York Times:
House Approves Budget, Providing ‘Clean’ Exit That John Boehner Sought
The House on Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted a crucial bipartisan budget accord that in one relatively tight 144-page bill stands to end five years of bitter clashes between Republicans and the Obama administration over fiscal policy .... It also will prevent a default on the federal debt that the Treasury Department had said would occur next week without congressional action, and called for cuts in Medicare payments to doctors and other health care providers as well as changes to a Social Security disability program that supporters of the measure said would save the government billions, while preserving the program for decades to come. (Herszenhorn, 10/28)
Los Angeles Times:
House Approves Two-Year Budget Deal
The $80-billion bipartisan accord between congressional leaders and President Obama reverses steep spending cuts to defense and domestic programs, and staves off hits to Medicare and Social Security disability benefits. It also raises the federal government’s borrowing limit through March 2017, well after the presidential election. The bill passed 266 to 167. Every Democrat voted for the deal, as did 79 Republicans. Most GOP lawmakers voted no. The Senate is expected to approve the deal. (Mascaro, 10/28)
The Wall Street Journal:
House Passes Two-Year Budget Deal
The agreement has drawn GOP opposition in both chambers and on the presidential campaign trail from conservatives upset that it raises spending by $80 billion through September 2017 and extends the government’s borrowing authority through mid-March 2017. ... The legislation also incorporates fixes to two federal safety-net programs lawmakers wanted to address well before next year’s elections. (Peterson, 10/28)
Politico:
House Passes Sweeping Budget Bill
Conservatives, on the other hand, loathe the deal. They’ve hammered leaders for negotiating the agreement in secret, without input form the rank and file, and many of them have strong, principled objections to raising the debt limit. (French, 10/28)
The Washington Post:
House Passes Budget Deal, Senate Expected To Act This Week
The agreement would lift the so-called sequester spending caps to increase discretionary spending by about $80 billion over two years, an amount that would be split equally among defense and domestic programs. To offset this cost, negotiators tapped a number of sources, including by making changes to Medicare and Social Security, auctioning off spectrum controlled by the government, selling crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and tightening tax rules for business partnerships. (Snell, 10/28)