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| Patty Murray/ Flickr CC via WSDOT |
A bipartisan budget compromise has been reached that is
planned to prevent another government shutdown. House Budget Committee Chairman
Paul Ryan and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray worked together to freeze
government spending levels and ease government cuts. Negotiations between the
House and Senate have been ongoing for two months.
In early October, the U.S. government was shut down due a
budget deal that could not be reached, with 800,000 federal employees
indefinitely furloughed. A federal spending agreement was found two weeks
later, but expires January 2014.
The new agreement rises 2014 spending for the full year to
$1.012 trillion. The deal also sets the baseline spending level for 2015 fiscal
year. The proposal could save $85 billion and eliminate $63 billion in forced
spending cuts in programs such as the military. It is planned to reduce the
deficit by $23 billion dollars.
The U.S. House of Representatives will vote Thursday on the
bipartisan budget deal. It is expected to have a significant amount of GOP
support, but also opposition from influential conservatives that are urging for
opposition.
Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, lashed out at conservative
advocacy groups who have encouraged opposition.
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“They’re using our members and they’re using the American
people for their own goals,” Boehner told reporters at the Capitol on Wednesday.
“This is ridiculous.”
Democrats have also expressed unhappiness with the
agreement, due to the lack of an extension of unemployment benefits. Majority
Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., says he plans to bring up unemployment benefits and
an increase in minimum wage to the Senate floor in January.
The House will be going on holiday vacation for the year on
Friday, while the Senate will vote on the deal next week. President Obama has
stated he will sign it as soon as he receives approval from both branches of
government.
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