Negotiations between Democrats and Republicans to avoid a government shutdown ended for the night a few hours ago without a breakthrough. Still bedeviling the talks is the issue of abortion. Republicans want a bill to fund the government for six months to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood and Democrats won’t allow it. But according to Republicans, there may be some flexibility on the riders if Democrats would pony up a few billion dollars more in cuts — and, according to one top Republican aide, they’ve drawn the line at $34.5 billion in cuts to current spending.That’s at least in part because of the composition of the cuts. Republicans propose giving the Pentagon $2 billion more than Defense Secretary Robert Gates has requested. That additional spending puts additional pressure on domestic discretionary programs, which are taking the brunt of the cuts.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=112719