In the next fight on Capitol Hill, Jamelle Bouie writes at the American Prospect, Republicans and Democrats are gearing up to release dueling budgets that reflect different views of America's future.
Senate Democrats are set to release a budget this week, the first time they've done so since 2009. As always, it will be a collection of the party's goals and priorities—more a political statement than a plan for governing. Democrats, according to National Journal, will propose new revenue beyond the fiscal-cliff deal as well as new spending on education, infrastructure, and job training.
They will look for ways to undo sequestration, and offer instructions for tax reform. And while they'll look for entitlement savings, they won't go as far as the White House in adjusting Social Security or Medicare, for reasons political — they don't want to give ammunition to Republicans — and substantive — Democrats, including Senate Budget Committee chair Patty Murray, don't want to see large cuts to entitlement programs.
Republicans are already gearing up to oppose the plan. "I fear the Democrat proposal will fail this defining test and will never achieve balance. I fear it will crush American workers and our economy with trillions in new taxes, spending and debt," said Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican member of the Budget Committee. He calls balancing the budget and reducing the debt the "great challenge of our time," and blames spending for stagnant wages and a sluggish recovery.
Read Jamelle Bouie's entire piece at the American Prospect.
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