Speaker Paul Ryan Unable to Unify Republicans Around A Budget Deal, Despite Past Calls to Do Whatever It Takes to Pass A Budget
For years, Republicans have consistently said that Congress has a fundamental responsibility to pass a budget:
Speaker Paul Ryan: “The United States Congress has a moral — and legal — obligation to propose and pass budgets that tackle our generation’s greatest challenge.” [7/8/11]
Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy: “The first fundamental responsibility of any elected official is to pass a budget.” [CNS News, 1/23/13]
Majority Whip Steve Scalise: “The American people deserve and demand the fiscal transparency that comes with the normal budget process.” [CC.org, 1/23/13]
And as this session of Congress began, Speaker Paul Ryan reiterated that passing a budget and returning to regular order was a top priority:
“I feel very strongly about budgeting… I feel very strongly about getting a real, working appropriations process so that that we can reclaim the power of the purse.” [The Hill, 2/11/16]
“[Speaker Paul] Ryan hosted caucus members around a large conference table in his office to tell them that, if Republicans want to pass appropriations bills this year, they have to accept the budget number that leaders from both parties agreed to at the end of October.” [Huffington Post, 2/3/16]
“A top priority for [Speaker Ryan] and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is to use the next several months of budget peace to return Congress to what insiders call ‘regular order’… a budget that doesn’t adhere to last fall’s agreement would push Democrats away and threaten to unravel Ryan and McConnell’s grand plan for a normal appropriations process.” [The Atlantic, 2/3/16]
But after delaying both a committee mark-up and Floor consideration – which at one point was supposed to be this week – Republicans are deeply divided over how to move forward on a budget resolution.
“Leaders of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC) voted Thursday to oppose last year's spending bill, throwing the House GOP's budget plans into turmoil…Some members of the RSC had already urged Ryan to break last fall’s unpopular accord…Ryan said as recently as Thursday that the party did not have to pass a budget.” [The Hill, 2/25/16]
“House Republicans’ positions on the budget seem to be hardening, not softening, increasing the likelihood that they may not be able to produce a budget that 218 members can support. Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price, R-Ga., and GOP leadership continued talks with members from various factions of the Republican conference this week, but the negotiations have barely moved the needle…Asked during his weekly news conference Thursday if he was confident the House would pass a budget, Ryan said, “It’s going to be up to the members.” [CQ, 2/26/16]
“The bottom line: Don't look for action on a budget resolution anytime soon. While he's hoping for a solution, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., a leader of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said, ‘With each day that passes, the idea of not passing a budget becomes more real.’” [CQ Budget Tracker, 2/29/16]
“Republican leaders began the year with high hopes that rank-and-file members…would fall in line behind a GOP budget that includes $30 billion in new spending that was agreed to last year by Republican and Democratic leaders. Instead leaders find themselves in another standoff with anti-establishment conservatives who are unwilling to budge, frustrating Republicans who hoped to spend the year proving that the House GOP is capable of handling the basic responsibilities of governance without rancor and drama.” [Washington Post, 2/29/16]
“Conservatives’ intransigence has forced GOP leaders to reconsider their approach. [Speaker] Ryan and Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-Ga.) hoped to begin voting on a budget resolution, which provides the blueprint for the year’s tax and spending decisions, as early as the first week of March but recent clashes have made that early start nearly impossible…Pressure is mounting for the House to make a decision despite Ryan’s effort to downplay the conflict... Members acknowledged privately last week that there is a chance the House could fail to pass a budget if the conflict continues into next month.” [Washington Post, 2/29/16]
“House Republicans may face a moment of truth as soon as Thursday in their struggle to determine whether there is enough support in the conference to adopt a fiscal 2017 budget resolution. If the result instead is rejection, the House and Senate GOP could skip a budget resolution this year. That would be a blow, given that Republicans have spent much political capital vowing a return to ‘regular order…’” [CQ, 3/1/16]
With each passing day, it seems more and more likely that Republicans will fail to present a budget for Fiscal Year 2017 – what they have considered a basic responsibility of governing. As they continue to deal with deep divisions among themselves, Democrats will continue to urge Speaker Ryan to honor the budget agreement he voted for and work with us on a bipartisan basis to responsibly fund the government.
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