Senate Republicans are quietly killing the chance that anything other than continuing resolutions will be used to fund the government for the foreseeable future.
Senator Ted Cruz kicked things off yesterday.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) slammed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) for being a “schoolyard bully” on the Senate floor Monday, after Cruz blocked an effort to move forward on budget negotiations Republicans in the House and Senate have demanded for the past four years.
And Mitch McConnell made it official today.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) objected Tuesday to Sen. Patty Murray’s (D-WA) request to begin House-Senate conference negotiations to resolve the differences between the two budgets the chambers passed.
McConnell objected because Murray declined to pre-set ground rules that the outcome of the negotiations not raise taxes or lift the debt ceiling. In other words, McConnell and Republians want to establish the rules in advance so that they can’t lose the debate.
This is not about voting on a budget. This is about reconciling and debating what should be included in it. The Republicans are objecting to even debating what should be included.
If only President Obama would display some leaderly leadership and lead, or take Mitch McConnell out for a beer, the Republicans would agree to begin debating the budget, right? Of course.
There are nice things out there and this is why we can’t have them.