The Wall Street Journal: Republican leaders push spending plan over concerns from right
House Speaker John Boehner, Republican of Ohio
House Republican leaders pushed ahead Wednesday with a plan to avoid a budget showdown next week by funding the government well into 2015, banking on the prospect of help from Democrats to outweigh conservative opposition.
The most conservative Republicans in both the House and Senate broadcast their concerns Wednesday over GOP leaders' plans to keep the government running beyond Dec. 11, and to set up a fight over President Barack Obama's immigration proposal early next year.
The mounting resistance from conservatives means that Republicans will likely need to rely on some Democratic votes to pass the measure in the House. With some Democrats willing to consider the legislation, House GOP leaders were moving forward with their plan, eager to steer clear of a government shutdown next week, aides said.
Under the two-pronged proposal that House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) pitched to his ranks Tuesday, lawmakers would fund almost all of the government through September 2015 through a measure tying together 11 spending bills still under negotiation. Republicans would position themselves to take aim at Obama's plan to shield millions of illegal immigrants from deportation by extending funding for the Homeland Security Department just until early next year, when Republicans will control both chambers of Congress.
As the deadline loomed, Obama planned to discuss budget issues, among other topics, in a one-on-one meeting with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.
"We obviously need to see some budget legislation pass through both houses of Congress . . . over the course of the next week or so," Earnest said.
To express their opposition to Obama's immigration action, House Republicans are expected to vote Thursday on a bill based on one from Rep. Ted Yoho (R., Fla.) that would seek to block the plan. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) has said his chamber won't consider the measure, making the House vote largely symbolic.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), a potential 2016 presidential candidate, suggested the House effort was a "meaningless show vote" and argued that Republicans couldn't vote for any legislation that funds implementation of Mr. Obama's immigration executive order without violating their repeated campaign pledges to block the policy.
An expanded version of this story is available at WSJ.com.
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The Wall Street Journal: Republican leaders push spending plan over concerns from right