–Senate Expected To Clear Three Week Stop-Gap Spending Bill
–White House, Congress Expected To Intensify Talks on Final FY’11 Bill

By John Shaw

WASHINGTON (MNI) – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Thursday said
the Senate will vote at 3 p.m. EST on a stop-gap spending bill that will
fund the government until April 8.

The Senate is expected to pass the measure, sending it to President
Obama for his signature.

The House passed the same bill Tuesday.

The stop-gap bill, largely drafted by House Republicans, includes
$6 billion in spending cuts. These cuts are acceptable to congressional
Democrats and the White House.

The House passed the bill Tuesday on a 271 to 158 vote. In the
vote, 104 Democrats and 54 Republicans opposed the short-term spending
bill for opposite reasons. House Democrats said the bill cuts spending
too much while House Republicans say it does not cut spending enough.

The 2011 fiscal year began on Oct. 1 and the government has run on
five short-term funding bills. The new stop-gap would be the sixth
short-term spending measure.

The current stop-gap spending bill funding the government expires
Friday.

In remarks Wednesday, Reid said he does not expect a party line
vote on the measure, an apparent reference to the fact that some
conservative Senate Republicans oppose the bill because it doesn’t cut
spending deeply enough and does not include various policy riders.

After the Senate passes the bill, more intense talks are expected
to commence on negotiating a final agreement on the FY’11 budget.

In remarks Wednesday, Reid said that Democrats and Republicans must
“meet in the middle” and reach a compromise on the final 2011 fiscal
year budget.

Reid said that Democrats have made concessions on spending cuts for
FY’11, but congressional Republicans haven’t reciprocated. “We can’t
negotiate without a partner,” Reid said.

House Speaker John Boehner said Wednesday that he’s “in
conversations” with the White House and the Senate on a final fiscal
year 2011 budget accord, but added a final agreement will not be easy to
achieve.

“We would like to come to an agreement as soon as possible,”
Boehner said. “It’s not going to be easy,” he added.

Boehner played down the number of Republican defections Tuesday
when the House passed a stop-gap spending bill that funds the government
until April 8.

“I’m pleased we were able to pass the three week CR,” he said,
referring to the stop-gap bill.

But speaking later in the day, Sen. Chuck Schumer, the third
ranking Senate Democrat, said the opposition of 54 House Republicans in
Tuesday’s vote to pass a three week spending bill is “very telling and
very troubling.”

Schumer said the defection of more than four dozen House
Republicans on a bill to keep the government funded may signal a
fundamental unwillingness to compromise on the FY’11 budget.

** Market News International Washington Bureau: (202) 371-2121 **

[TOPICS: M$U$$$,MFU$$$,MCU$$$]