Blue Dogs Get Deal With Spratt, Conrad On Point Of Order

Wed. Apr. 30, 2008


Reps. Mike Ross, D-Ark. and Allen Boyd, D-Fla. confirmed Thursday that the Blue Dog Coalition had reached a deal with House Budget Chairman John Spratt and Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad to allow a point of order against any provisions that would increase the deficit by as much as $10 billion on the budget resolution in the Senate.

They argued it would ensure that the package is as pay/go compliant as possible.

"The point of order is the strongest tool that Senator Conrad can give us," Ross said.

He said that while they originally wanted reconciliation instructions on the resolution, a point of order provided the best protection of fiscal interests.

The deal clears another hurdle for Conrad and Spratt to complete work on the resolution.

Other outstanding issues include a deal on the final discretionary spending number. The House-passed resolution called for $1.014 trillion of discretionary funding for FY09 and the Senate-passed resolution set the discretionary limit at $1.010 trillion.

Conrad believes that it will not take long to reach a compromise.

"In order to get the budget done in a way that is timely we need to wrap it up," he said. "We have done a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes for weeks pre-negotiating to be ready for when [House-Senate negotiators] are named so things are teed up ... for them."

Conrad said that the final deal is unlikely to include room for a $35 billion economic stimulus plan, a provision that was included in the Senate resolution.

But by far the biggest hurdle was whether to include reconciliation instructions in the budget to ensure an offset of the AMT.

Reconciliation is a procedure used to avert a Senate filibuster.

The Blue Dogs initially sought reconciliation instructions, but such a position would jeopardize Senate passage, prompting the budget writers' counteroffers last week.

Earlier Tuesday, Conrad said he and Spratt had offered the Blue Dogs a threshold of as much as $50 billion.

"What we are talking about is various points of order," Conrad said. "Perhaps even a new point of order against [amendments] that would raise the deficit by more than $25 billion or perhaps $50 billion" over one year.

by Humberto Sanchez and Christian Bourge

Wed. Apr. 30, 2008