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Saturday, February 19, 2011

House Republicans Win Spending Cuts After Marathon Funding Debate

In a rare Saturday morning session, the House voted to cut more than $60 billion in spending for the federal government for the remainder of the year.

At 4:40 a.m., lawmakers voted 235-189 to send the so-called continuing resolution to the Senate. Not one Democrat voted for the bill that would cut at least $61 billion, from 2010 levels, in spending for federal programs and agencies.

Three Republicans, Reps. John Campbell (R-Calif.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Walter Jones (R-N.C.), opposed the bill that would pay for government operations on March 4, when the current funding is set to expire.

For the past four days, lawmakers in the people’s house debated the stringent spending cuts, submitted by GOP House leaders who pledged to cut at least $100 billion in federal spending from the president’s 2011 budget request.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) insisted on an “open process,” in which lawmakers were allowed to offer unlimited amendments to the base bill.

After whittling down more than 500 amendments submitted to the measure, the House voted on nearly 70 amendments and rejected just over 50.

On Friday, the House held a series of lightning-round votes on the scores of amendments – approving items that would defund the president’s healthcare law, portions of the Environmental Protection Agency, Planned Parenthood and other federal programs.

Following passage of the CR, Boehner issued a statement calling on Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) to schedule an immediate vote on the bill that the Speaker said contains “the largest spending cuts in American history.”

“For the good of our economy and our democracy, I call on Senate Majority Leader Reid to allow it to come to an immediate vote.

"Cutting federal spending is critical to reducing economic uncertainty, encouraging private-sector investment, and creating a better environment for job creation in our country,” Boehner said in a statement.

Congressional Republicans face an uphill climb to reach a compromise on a CR with a Democratic-controlled Senate and a presidential veto threat of the bill that the House approved on Saurday.

With little more than two weeks before the current continuing resolution expires, Congress will likely have to pass a stopgap spending bill to fund government operations while the House and Senate negotiate a deal on spending levels for the remaining seven months in the 2011 fiscal year.

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