I have an idea they may not have considered….what about eliminating their healthcare plans? What about cutting their pay? What about ending the most expensive military operations in history? Hmmm…maybe someone should send me to the Senate…
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Finance Republicans, aiming to find $10 billion in savings, have reached a deal on health care budget cuts and will release details on Thursday afternoon, said an aide to committee chairman Sen. Charles Grassley (news, bio, voting record).
Senate conservatives had hoped to trim Medicaid, the joint federal-state health program for the poor, by about $10 billion over five years but moderates on the panel pushed for some of the savings to come from Medicare, the federal health program for the elderly.
The House is divided over its budget plans, with conservatives pushing for deeper spending cuts. House Republican leaders called off a vote on legislation they had hoped to pass on Thursday.
House Acting Majority Leader Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, said he was aiming to get a package of spending reductions to the House floor some time next week.
This could include up to $50 billion in savings over five years on mandatory programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, as well as across the board spending cuts that have been debated since Hurricane Katrina forced Congress to pass billions in emergency spending.
Conservative and moderate Republicans so far have failed to reach any agreement on spending cut details.
The Finance Committee announced it will take up the legislation starting Monday. The Finance package is part of a broader effort to achieve $35 billion in savings over five years.
