Update on Continuing Resolution and the Week Ahead
As you are likely aware, Congress late Friday evening cleared and the President signed a short-term “bridge” continuing resolution funding the federal government through April 14 (i.e., midnight Thursday). That bill, which can be found online here, contained $2 billion in additional spending cuts, none of which came from the Department of Health and Human Services.
With respect to a longer-term CR through September 30, that language is still being drafted; press reports indicate that the bill text could be made public (likely on the House Rules Committee website here) later today.
Various press reports and a dispatch from the Speaker’s Office have indicated that as part of the budget agreement, the Senate will proceed to votes on stand-alone measures repealing/defunding Obamacare and a measure related to Planned Parenthood/Title X family planning funding. Text and timing of any such votes remain unclear. (As a reminder, the Senate is NOT in session today; the body will reconvene at 10 AM tomorrow, with a judicial confirmation vote scheduled at noon, ahead of the policy lunches.)
Finally, White House advisor David Plouffe indicated on the Sunday shows yesterday that the President will finally be laying out his entitlement “reform” agenda in a speech on Wednesday. It is unclear what exactly the President will propose – other than to re-state his commitment to raise taxes on small businesses that create American jobs. This morning’s Politico notes that “there aren’t a lot of Democratic ideas” with respect to reforming Medicare and Medicaid (as opposed to the House Republican budget, which will be debated in that chamber at the end of the week).