House Republicans huddled Friday to begin sketching the contours of their budget blueprint less than a week after President Barack Obama released his own vision, but party leaders may struggle uniting their raucous members behind a single government funding plan.
GOP lawmakers, including members of the Georgia delegation, emerged from the meeting no closer to a final game plan on the document, but with what seemed to be a groundswell of goodwill toward new Speaker Paul Ryan and his leadership style. Regardless, the Wisconsin Republican and his budget chairman, Roswell Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Price, must thread a fine needle in the weeks ahead as they seek to bring the increasingly disparate wings of their party behind a single plan.
The biggest sticking point at the moment is over government spending levels, in particular the additional $30 billion then-Speaker John Boehner secured for non-entitlement programs, a category that includes everything from national defense to scientific research, as part of a two-year budget deal he helped put together with the White House and congressional leaders on his way to the exits in October.
Defense-focused Republicans like having the extra money, since half of it would go to the Pentagon. More establishment-aligned members of the GOP also approve, in the interest of moving government spending bills that could further Republican priorities later in the year.
But many members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus fervently oppose the extra money and want to see a blueprint that includes lower spending levels. The group essentially has veto power over any legislation Ryan may put forward if its 40-some members stick together.
U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, one of two Georgia lawmakers in the Freedom Caucus, said the group met with Ryan last week to discuss various ideas and is still deliberating its position.
“The discussions aren’t done, we’re still working,” the Cassville Republican said.
U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ranger, said sticking to the budget deal Boehner helped broker is not a “requirement” for him. “I think we can do better,” he said.
Democrats have indicated they will only agree to move forward on spending bills later this year if the budget deal is honored. Their support will be needed in the Senate if GOP leaders care about shepherding such measures to the president’s desk.
To that, Graves replied, “We’re not going to make decisions based on what the Democrats say they will or won’t do.”
The budget blueprint is of particularly high importance to Ryan, even though advancing one is not a requirement. Failing to pass one through the House for the first time in years would be a political embarrassment for the new leader and former Budget Committee chairman.
The document also determines the maximum amount of money that the chamber wants federal agencies to spend in the upcoming year, and Ryan has drummed up support and expectations among rank-and-file members of his caucus to move spending bills this year under a more routine process.
Other members of the Georgia delegation indicated they were open to moving forward with the higher spending level from the budget deal in the interest of moving spending bills, but many said they were still considering their options.
“Of what was described in there, really the only viable option that we have to getting back to regular order, I think, is accept the budget that was agreed to by Boehner and the president,” said U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Pooler, who voted against the budget accord last fall.
Lawrenceville Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall stressed the importance of being able to move forward with funding measures after years of dysfunction. Congress hasn’t advanced spending bills in an orderly and complete manner in a decade.
“I want to see a budget, and I want to see a budget that balances, and I want to see appropriations bills conferenced for the first time in my congressional career,” said Woodall, who noted money could be cut from different federal agencies later on in the budget process.
For his part, Price said he was confident the party could settle on an approach that attracts enough Republican support for passage on the House floor.
“Budgets are always a big challenge, and this is no different,” he said.
For all the potential division over spending levels, most lawmakers seemed notably upbeat following the session, touting Ryan’s open leadership style, which they said was a welcome departure from Boehner’s top-down management style.
“We’ve never been to this place before,” Woodall said. “The speaker didn’t say, ‘Hey, if folks don’t fall in line, I’m going to have to go negotiate with Nancy Pelosi to get America a budget.’ The speaker said: ‘We’ve got more than 200 thoughtful members in this room. Let’s get it right.’ ”
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