Published: February 21, 2011
Congress Didn't Agree on a Budget
By Marcella Glenn
The House and Senate didn't agree on a budget, and that could shut down the federal government as early as next week.
The main issue is surrounding proposed spending cuts that include budget cuts for New York.
A plan the House passed Friday cuts $61 billion and calls for huge cuts to education funding for New York: $36 million in special education funds, $466 million in college Pell grants, $30 million in aid to schools in low-income neighborhoods and 12,000 slots in pre-school Head Start programs.
Congress didn't agree on a budget for this year and instead relied on the continuing resolutions to keep money flowing.
The $61 billion cut House Speaker John Boehner pushed through last week would lead to a budget that's about $100 billion less than President Obama asked for.
Democrats in the Senate are looking at a temporary resolution to keep running for a few weeks beyond March 4, buying them time to cut a deal with the GOP. It's unclear whether they'll get it.
Marcella Glenn is a freelance writer, blogger, novelist, and former business editor. She looks forward to hearing from you. Scribble a note to her through NewsBlaze, or her blog at critiqueandwrite.blogspot.com
Search News
