[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]White House starts negotiations with congressional leaders on a sweeping budget deal[/title][fusion_text]Monday, October 5th 2015
Amid a power struggle in the House Republican caucus, the White House has started negotiations with congressional leaders on a sweeping budget deal that will be critical to GOP hopes to roll back some of President Obama’s regulatory agenda. The budget talks have taken on increased urgency because of House Speaker John Boehner’s announcement that he’ll step down at the end of this month. House Republicans are scheduled to vote on a new leadership slate this Thursday. Congressional leaders want to nail down a deal on top-line numbers for domestic and defense spending while Boehner is still in office, and to give House and Senate appropriators time to work out the details of an omnibus spending bill for the rest of 2016. Meanwhile, the House Agriculture Committee this week will demand assurances from the Obama administration that the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans won’t take environmental factors into account. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, whose department has the lead role in writing the 2015 version of the guidelines will testify Wednesday before the House Agriculture Committee along with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. As for the budget negotiations, Democrats are demanding more money for domestic spending, while Republicans want to increase the defense budget and to use the omnibus bill to block a series of regulations, including the administration’s “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule re-defining the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. The administration’s greenhouse gas limits and other regulations also could be the target of Republicans in the negotiations.
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