White House warns of veto on 2 GOP spending bills as deadline nears.
The White House Threatens Veto on Republican-Backed Budget Cuts
The White House has made it clear that President Joe Biden is prepared to veto two appropriations bills proposed by Republicans, which would result in significant budget cuts for federal agencies. This move comes as the bills are set to be voted on this week.
Using his veto powers, the president can prevent a bill passed by Congress from becoming law. However, Congress has the ability to override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers.
In two statements of Administration Policy released on October 30, the Biden administration expressed its opposition to the bills and stated that if presented to President Biden, he would veto them. You can read the statements here and here.
The White House also took the opportunity to criticize House Republicans for seeking larger spending cuts than what was agreed upon between the White House and former House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in May.
Rep. McCarthy was removed as House speaker following a vote initiated by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). Gaetz’s main complaint against McCarthy was that he facilitated the passage of legislation opposed by Republicans within his own party with support from elected Democrats.
“The Administration negotiated in good faith with House Republican Leadership on bipartisan legislation to avoid a first-ever default and protect the Nation’s hard-earned and historic economic recovery,” the White House stated.
“House Republicans had an opportunity to engage in a productive, bipartisan appropriations process, but instead are wasting time with partisan bills that cut domestic spending to levels well below the FRA agreement and endanger critical services for the American people,” the White House added.
The two proposed bills would result in billions of dollars in cuts to various federal agencies. The Department of Transportation, for example, would face a reduction of approximately $7 billion compared to the funding levels of fiscal year 2023.
Housing and Urban Development funding would be cut by $1.2 billion compared to 2023 levels, while the EPA’s funding would be reduced by nearly $4 billion, bringing it to levels not seen since FY 1991, according to the White House.
For these bills to pass, they would need to be approved by the GOP-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate. Currently, the GOP holds a slight majority in the House.
Funding Deadline Fast Approaching
The White House’s veto threats come as lawmakers face a November 17 deadline to fund the government.
In his final act as speaker, Rep. McCarthy, with the support of House Democrats, pushed a stopgap spending bill through the lower chamber to keep the government funded until November 17.
Newly-elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who was relatively unknown in the capital’s political scene prior to assuming the role, still needs to pass seven of the 12 annual appropriations bills to avoid another government shutdown. So far, only five of the 12 bills have passed through the House, with none approved by the Senate.
The ongoing political standoff over raising the federal debt ceiling has been a major issue throughout the year. The debt ceiling, set by Congress, limits the total amount of debt the government can hold. In the past, Congress typically raised the cap when approaching the limit. However, Republicans have recently called for spending cuts instead as the national debt surpasses $33 trillion.
According to estimates from the U.S. Treasury, the government expects to borrow nearly $1.6 trillion in net new debt over the next six months, covering this quarter and the next.
What are the arguments of the White House and Republicans regarding these budget cuts and their impact
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