President Obama’s hope for a quick stimulus bill faces a grim reality: politics is still king in Washington. The President proposed a self-imposed deadline of mid February for Congress to send a finished bill to his desk. Unfortunately, political obstacles in the Senate are threatening the majority’s ability to deliver on that deadline. Senators are working furiously to reach a compromise that can win enough support to pass the Senate. It seems that the Senate is close to announcing a tentative deal, and we are awaiting further details.
The Senate began working on the bill on Monday, adopting a number of amendments that add additional tax breaks and funding for specific housing programs. Current reports have the amended Senate bill totaling more than $940 billion. As the overall price of the bill goes up, the likelihood of securing Republican support goes down. In an attempt to cut spending, Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Susan Collins (R-ME) brought together a group of 15-20 Senators from both parties to work on a compromise.
The most recent deal includes cutting a significant portion of the Senate’s education funding, in an attempt to bring the total bill down to around $780 billion. The targeted funding for Title I of the ESEA, IDEA Parts B and C, and Head Start could be cut in half. It would eliminate the $15 billion for State incentive grants, under the State fiscal stabilization portion of the bill. The biggest cut would a $25 billion reduction of the State stabilization title. These are the most recent discussions, but not the most dramatic. There are discussions of proposals that would cut all education funds, including the $79 billion for State fiscal stabilization, except for the $13.5 billion increase for IDEA.
As the Senate considers these measures, the members continue to debate the hundreds of amendments that have been offered. Many of those amendments deal with issues that are critical to the distribution of the education funds, regardless of their funding level. None of the education-related amendments, however, have yet made their way to a vote on the Senate floor.
President Obama increased his own rhetoric in response to the Senate’s troubles. While encouraging members of Congress to reach a consensus, President Obama warned against any drastic cuts to the bill – exactly the kind of cuts now under consideration. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is promising to keep working through the weekend until a package is approved. Things will move quickly. Stay tuned.
Tip of the hat to Steve Spillan
