Capitol Hill Budget Battles
ListenHour 1
With the threat of a government shutdown at midnight looming large, legislators on Capitol Hill continue to battle over a budget bill for this year. Republicans – with pressure from their Tea Party supporters – have rejected the White House proposal to cut $33 billion from current government spending. Democrats say the fight is more about ideology than deficit reduction, citing Republican-proposed cuts in programs like cancer research, student aid and public broadcasting. Complicating Friday’s deadline is a 2012 budget plan, The Path to Prosperity, proposed by Congressman Paul Ryan that includes dramatic reforms to the Medicare and Medicaid systems. Our two guests – JONATHAN WEISMAN of the Wall Street Journal and SAM STEIN of Huffington Post – have been covering the budget battles from all angles. They join us by phone from our nation’s capitol.
Listen:
[audio: 040811_100630.mp3]
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