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Opinion Political Maneuvering Over the Budget T here has been much discus- sion about the big picture items in President Obama’s proposed budget for fiscal 2014. If the devil is in the details, as politi- cians like to say, some parts of Obama’s budget will mean hell for some needy citizens. Before getting into the details, let’s talk approach. As I have often said, I am not a fan of some of the tactical approaches Obama takes. I understand that his reasoned approach – as opposed to the meat cleaver style of House Republi- cans – is far better than the GOP alternative. Still, it makes no sense to offer a compromise posi- tion in advance of actual negotia- tions. A report by the Center of Budg- et and Policy Priorities (CBPP), a nonpartisan think tank that ana- lyzes government policy and pro- grams, notes, “It is unusual for a President to include these kinds of compromise policies in his budg- et. Typically, the President’s budg- et would include policies that are more akin to an opening bid in a negotiation — that is, the Presi- dent’s budget generally reflects his preferred policies. This budget, in contrast, reflects the President’s position at a stage of the negotia- tions after several rounds of offers had been made. This budget dif- fers significantly from the approach taken in earlier Obama budgets.” Clearly, compromises will have to be made at some point – even compromises President Obama T HE C URRY R EPORT George E. Curry will not want to make – but this is not the time to make them. Robert Greenstein, president of CBPP, said: “Politically speaking, I had thought that the White House should not put these con- cessions in its budget, as distin- guished from offering them in bipartisan negotiations if and when Republicans agreed to dedi- cate substantial savings from curb- ing tax credits, deductions, and other preferences (known as ‘tax expenditures’) to deficit reduc- tion. The Administration took a different approach. Having done so, it is appropriately insisting that the part of its budget that contains the President’s last offer to Boehn- er is an indivisible package — that policymakers cannot cherry pick the budget cuts on their own, as some Republicans are already sug- gesting, without taking the accom- panying revenue increases.” Given President Obama’s over- tures, one would think reasonable people would meet him half way. But the operative word is “reason- able.” Instead of also making con- cession, Republicans have become even more recalcitrant. “When it comes to deficit reduc- tion, the playing field is not level,” Greenstein stated. “The President is sticking with his final offer to Boehner despite the anger that it’s creating in his party and his politi- cal base due to the chained CPI and other proposals. “The Speaker and other Repub- lican leaders, however, have buried their last offer to Obama in December and are ignoring the fact that it included $400 billion in revenue increases beyond what policymakers enacted at the start revenues and lower entitlement spending, the budget also reduces funding for discretionary pro- grams by $200 billion below the already austere caps set in the 2011 Budget Control Act (BCA),” the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report states. “The $200 billion in proposed cuts are evenly split between defense and non-defense pro- grams, consistent with the Presi- dent’s December offer to Speaker Boehner. Non-defense discre- tionary programs include a broad set of government functions, such Obama needs to break his addictive habit of making major concessions to Republicans before sitting at the bargaining table with them. of the year. They now brand any new revenues as unacceptable. The contrast between the Presi- dent’s approach and that of Republican leaders is striking.” Beyond the political wrangling, there is plenty to be concerned about. “The budget proposes to replace sequestration for all years — 2013 through 2021 — with other deficit-reduction measures. While most of the proposed deficit reduction is in the form of higher as education, public health, law enforcement, veterans’ health care, housing supports for low- income families, and scientific and medical research.” Calling the non-defense discre- tionary program funding “ill- advised,” The center’s report noted, “The BCA funding caps already significantly constrain this area of the budget. In fact, under the BCA caps, spending for non- defense discretionary programs is on track to reach, by 2016, its low- est level on record as a share of the economy (these data go back to 1962). This area of the budget, which has been cut significantly in recent years and is not a driver of longer-term deficits, would be cut still more deeply under the Presi- dent’s budget.” In addition the CBPP said, “The budget would increase the income-related premiums paid by upper-income beneficiaries and gradually expand those premiums to cover a larger fraction of bene- ficiaries. It would also increase cost-sharing for new beneficiaries by raising the deductible for physician services, introducing co-payments for certain home health care services, and introduc- ing a premium surcharge for those who purchase Medigap supple- ment plans that provide near-first- dollar coverage (which encourages greater utilization of health care services).” There are plenty of good things in the president’s proposed budg- et, including his plan to expand early education and infrastructure investments, but Obama needs to break his addictive habit of mak- ing major concessions to Republi- cans before sitting at the bargaining table with them. George E. Curry, former editor- in-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Associa- tion News Service (NNPA.) He is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach. Week on the Web Researcher: Homicides Kill More Young Black Men Than Other Leading Causes Com- bined — US News For The Skanner News on your smart phone go to www. theskannermobile.com or scan this QR code with your app. April’s Race Talks Discussion Tackles Fluoridation but Few People Change Their Minds — NW News Advocate for Communities Of Color? Not My Job, Equity Director Dante James Says — Opinion Quartet Restaurant to Host Birthday Party for Stevie Wonder May 10 — Entertainment Cultural Misunderstandings Lead to Prosecution of Immi- grants Opinion The Global Farm Grab is On — Opinion www. The Skanner.com has automatic updates for weather and sports, the latest news from Portland and beyond ... it’s your go-to place for news you won’t see in mainstream publications. It’s your community. It’s The Skanner. April 17, 2013 The Portland Skanner Page 5
