Congressional Republicans aim for the fences with budget cuts

It's budget season on Capitol Hill and the nation is getting its first look at the proposals from Republicans who control the House and Senate.

In a nod to party activists who demand limited government, GOP leaders of both chambers released proposals this week that would make dramatic changes to federal programs and enact deep spending cuts — including to food stamps.

House Republicans claim their budget would cut $5.5 trillion in government spending over the next decade, turn over federal programs to the states, balance the budget, increase Pentagon funding and end the Affordable Care Act.

None of that is likely to happen, given that President Obama has nearly two years left in his second term and is prepared to use his veto.

Still, U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, a Republican who represents Minnesota's 6th District, thinks it's important for GOP leaders to lay out their wish lists ahead of the 2016 presidential election — even if they have differences over spending priorities.

"If Republicans were going to govern, this is where they would set their priorities," said Emmer, who is in his first term. "This is how they would start to work the budget process."

But even though the Republicans control both houses of Congress, Democrats have wish lists of their own.

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, a Democrat who represents Minnesota's 5th District, would go 180 degrees in the other direction by enacting tax increases on corporations and the wealthy, increasing government services and reducing military spending.

Ellison hopes to make a mark on the Democratic Party presidential platform by including labor groups, environmentalists and other allies in the budget process next year.

He notes that past budgets put forward by the Progressive Caucus included proposals that eventually gained mainstream acceptance within the Democratic Party — among them a small tax on stock trades and derivatives like options and futures.

"The progressive world looks at the progressive caucus budget as their budget," Ellison said.

With Democrats in the minority, the progressive budget isn't dividing the party.

The same isn't true for Republicans, where a fight has broken out about defense spending.

The House GOP budget tries to get around budget caps enshrined in law by adding money to a fund used for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

U.S. Rep. John Kline, a Republican who represents Minnesota's 2nd District said the move is not a budgetary stunt.

"We've used the ... funding for years and years," said Kline, a member of the Armed Services Committee and a supporter of more military funding.

But Senate Republicans and budget hawks in the House oppose that move. When the budget goes to the full House next week, there likely will be a messy debate among Republicans about defense spending.

In the first few months of the current session of Congress, Republicans already have had trouble passing bills because of divisions within their ranks.

U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, a Democrat who represents Minnesota's 7th District, sees a similar storm brewing now.

"From what it looks to me, I don't think the Republicans are going to be able to agree amongst themselves," said Peterson, the delegation's longest serving member.

Peterson said the Republican plan to reduce food stamp spending by turning it over to states won't pass muster with Democrats or the president. Peterson said the farm bill he helped pass last year — which includes food stamps — already cut spending and Democrats should not be asked to do more.

"Now if they're stupid enough to after it, they can pass the budget without Obama signing it," Peterson said. "But if they put SNAP cuts in there, whatever they end up doing, he will veto it."

While Peterson sees problems ahead for the GOP plan, Kline expects the budget to pass.

"I'm sure we'll pull out all the stops to get one done because it's the foundation of everything that follows," Kline said of the Republican caucus. "You can't have the spending bills, the appropriations bills, until you have a budget agreement."

As Republicans try to unite around their plan, Democrats are crafting arguments they will continue to use through the 2016 election.

They'll likely adopt President Obama's message that the budget from House Republicans helps only the wealthiest Americans and does nothing for the middle class.

"Everyone likes the idea of balanced budgets, spending within your means and investing in things that make sense and they talk that talk," said U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, a Democrat who represents Minnesota's 1st District. "They simply don't deliver on it."