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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 20 June 2019

White House offers budget freeze if Dems don't agree to deal

By ANDREW TAYLOR opening bid in the guns vs.
WASHINGTON (AP) — butter fight with the Trump
Trump administration bar- administration.
gainers offered a one-year The House voted along
budget freeze and said party lines to pass the bill,
Democratic spending de- which blends the military
mands remained too high spending that's a priority
as talks with congressional for Republicans with Dem-
leaders aimed at averting ocratic-sought funding in-
deep cuts in defense and creases for health and ed-
domestic programs this au- ucation programs.
tumn seemed no closer to The House-passed bill far
resolution. exceeds Trump's budget
Firing back, Democrats said request for domestic pro-
White House involvement grams, attracting a White
in the negotiations was hin- House veto threat, and de-
dering progress and reject- nies him his full Pentagon
ed the proposed freeze. budget increase.
The exchange suggested It also contains policy "rid-
the two sides were not near ers" related to abortion
a handshake to avert au- and other hot-button issues
tomatic cuts and instead that drove away potential
boost both defense and GOP supporters, though
domestic programs, per- Democrats sidestepped a
haps for two years. Without potentially divisive battle
some agreement, overall by preserving a longtime
spending would be slashed ban on taxpayer-financed
by $125 billion starting Oct. abortion.
1, when the federal fis- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., talks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, The bill boosts the Penta-
cal year begins, a roughly Tuesday, June 18, 2019. gon budget by about $16
10 percent reduction in Associated Press billion over current levels,
agency budgets that both about a 2% increase, while
parties consider too draco- government open and Schumer later told report- iting the negotiating ses- giving health, education
nian. keeping the soundness of ers that "unfortunately" the sion, said Democrats had and labor programs an
Emerging from a bargain- the full faith and credit of White House has joined the actually increased their de- almost 7% boost. Those
ing session in House Speak- the government," Mnuchin talks. mand for domestic spend- numbers would have to
er Nancy Pelosi's office told reporters. He said both "Leader McConnell is just ing since the last bargain- balance out more to gain
that lasted over an hour, sides agreed not to hold in obeisance to the White ing session in May to $647 Trump's signature.
Treasury Secretary Steven the debt limit "hostage to House, and so that's where billion, which he said is $8 Action on the measure
Mnuchin said that with- spending." we're stuck right now," billion above their previous comes as Democrats have
out an accord, the White In a joint statement after Schumer said, referring to offer. been struggling to get their
House was prepared to the meeting, Pelosi, D- his Republican counter- "So you tell me if things are message out above the po-
prevent the automatic cut Calif., and Senate Minority part, Senate Majority Lead- moving in the right direc- litical din of Trump's Wash-
but force agencies to live Leader Chuck Schumer, D- er Mitch McConnell of Ken- tion. Last time I checked, ington. The bill wraps four
with a less severe, one-year N.Y., bristled at White House tucky. that's not how you compro- of the 12 annual spending
extension of this year's bud- involvement in the negotia- Schumer also said a one- mise," Mulvaney said. measures into one, and
get. tions. They said Democrats year freeze "is bad policy, Democrats made no new Democrats are boasting of
Mnuchin said the admin- "are committed" to working it's bad politics and it's a fall spending offer Wednesday gains for Head Start, health
istration would also agree with congressional Repub- back. We should be nego- and mentioned the $647 research and fighting the
to extend the federal debt licans to avert automatic tiating a bill." billion figure to note the opioid epidemic, among
limit for a year. The govern- spending cuts, the con- Democrats have been total price tag of spend- the myriad programs cov-
ment is projected to de- straints of a budget freeze pushing for increased ing bills the House has pro- ered by the measure.
plete its legal ability to bor- and the threat of a federal spending for domestic duced, said a Democrat It also contains provisions to
row money after the sum- default. programs, not a freeze, as familiar with the talks who block Trump from reassign-
mer, which would prompt "If the House and Senate a tradeoff for the big Pen- spoke on condition of ano- ing military appropriations
an unprecedented failure could work their will without tagon increases that Presi- nymity to describe the bar- to fund his border wall, and
by the government to re- interference from the Presi- dent Donald Trump and gaining. contains significantly more
pay its debt that could rat- dent, we could come to congressional Republicans Also Wednesday, the Dem- money for family planning,
tle the world's economy. a good agreement much are demanding. ocratic-controlled House preschool education and
"The president has every more quickly," the two Acting White House chief passed a $1 trillion spend- child care, and research
intention of keeping the Democrats said. of staff Mick Mulvaney, ex- ing bill that amounts to an into dangerous diseases.q