White House Offers Another $6.5B in Cuts

Rankings show ideology trumping Obama's change agenda

(NEWSER) - National Journal 's rankings of the most liberal and conservative lawmakers confirm that President Obama's first term has had little effect on the partisan atmosphere in Congress. Most members stick to the ideological positions they've staked out for most of their careers, with Sherrod Brown, John Kerry, and Chris Dodd among the most liberal senators and Jim Inhofe atop the conservative rankings. The House list looks similarly familiar. More»

(NEWSER) - With the Obama administration stepping up its push for health-care reform, Mark Halperin, in Time, lists five reasons why it will, and won't, get done. The pros:

• The industry is "still on board."
• "Barack Obama doesn't fail too often."
• It's a must-win for the entire White House agenda.
• Congressional Democrats are "remarkably united" on the issue.
• There's enough big-name Republicans who want a deal.

...bringing total to $30B, which may not satisfy Republicans

(NEWSER) - With the threat of a government shutdown less than two weeks away, all eyes are on the budget. The White House and congressional Democrats are working on a proposal to cut another $20 billion in spending, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal . It’s the biggest cut the administration and Democratic senators have offered thus far, adding to $10 billion in cuts already enacted—but it may be too little for the GOP. Republicans have called for $61 billion in cuts, and Tea Partiers are pushing them to follow through. More»

Says GOP proposal goes too far

(NEWSER) - President Obama issued a formal statement yesterday threatening to veto any spending bill the House GOP devises that doesn’t meet his specifications. “If the president is presented with a bill that undermines critical priorities or national security … the president will veto the bill,” the statement read, according to the Hill . It argued that the GOP’s current proposals would “sharply undermine core government functions” and reduce defense spending below levels “needed to meet vital military requirements.” More»

Congress, both parties, up as well

(NEWSER) - The public appears to feel a little less disgruntled these days. President Obama’s approval rating shot up 6 points to 53% in an AP-GfK poll released today. That’s his highest rating in nearly a year, Politico points out—and he’s not the only one feeling the love. A majority—56%--said they believed the new Republican Congress could bring about an economic turnaround. More»