Not So Fast: GOP Might Back Stimulus Bill With Changes

Republicans are still open to supporting a stimulus package in the House, a GOP leadership aide tells the Huffington Post, despite reports that they will oppose it.

Reports by Politico and the AP that Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) told House Republicans in a closed-door meeting to oppose the stimulus bill are accurate, the aide said. But Republicans will appeal to President Obama today to make changes to the House bill, holding out the possibility they will still support the final package.

Obama meets this afternoon with the entire Republican conference. "I think what our big moves will be today are to ask the President to help us. Help us make this plan better so that it will put Americans back to work," said Boehner before the meeting.

House Republicans have worked closely with Obama while the plan has been crafted, but have complained that House Democrats have been less open to their ideas than has the president.

"We're looking forward to the President coming today and having a dialogue with us about how we can have an economic recovery package that works for America. I applaud the President for dealing with this issue early on because America needs a plan that will work," Boehner said. "As you have heard, we have concerns that the plan House Democrats are going to bring to the floor will not work."

The chances that House Republicans can persuade Obama to pressure House Democrats to change their bill last minute are remote. A Democratic aide said, however, that it's "very likely" that Republicans will be able to offer a substitute bill as well as "several" of their own amendments.

House Republicans appear sensitive to criticism that they rejected the stimulus before meeting with Obama. Yet a Democratic aide said he doubted the sincerity of the Republicans' new openness. "Boehner already said he wouldn't vote for it, so why are they bothering to meet with the President if they've already decided they will oppose?" he wondered. "Will they even say what they want now or just constantly moving the goalposts?"

Comments

[tdubssurf]

It has been estimated that California could receive more than $25 billion (the Greater Los Angeles Area receiving around $6 billion) of the nearly $800 billion in aid, made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA. More than $70 billion of the bill has been directed towards investment in renewable, and green technologies...

http://www.caivp.org/article/taxes/2009/2/24/california-gets-stimulatedor-does-it

[cseper]

This week, congressional Republicans seized on a new report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) showing the limited short-term stimulative effects of the Democrats' proposed rescue package. It's also led to widespread media coverage undermining the White House's arguments about the benefits of a stimulus plan.

There is, however, a problem. The CBO report, as it's been described, doesn't exist.

Reports of a recent study by the Congressional Budget Office, showing that the vast majority of the money in the stimulus package won't be spent until after 2010, have Democrats on the defensive and the GOP calling for a pullback in wasteful spending.

Funny thing is, there is no such report.

"We did not issue any report, any analysis or any study," a CBO aide told the Huffington Post.

[lj9283]

And the real CBO report (that just came out yesterday), not the fictional one (that the CBO stated never existed) states:

"about two-thirds of the plan"s recovery investments will come in the first 18 months after it is enacted."

http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=1662

[blastit]

How can Obama work with people who want him to fail, these Reps only care about themselves not the people and I really resent Obama being nicey nice to these people I voted for change not more of the same no concessions with these republicans.

[steamboat]

He needs to ask Bush........Bush from day one had adverseries who threw roadblocks at him every inch of the way.

[UofAZGrad]

Are you kidding? First, Bush (lacking any semblence of voter mandate) got most of what he wanted before 9/11 and then got everything he wanted until the social security debacle of 2005. Even after 2005, Bush enjoyed considerable success such as getting all of his war funding without real oversite (ditto bailout) and unconstitutional FISA revisions despite a democratic congress in '07 - '08. In addition, Bush timed the Iraq War resolution through the congress two weeks before the midterm instead of following the wise example of Bush 41 who avoided politicizing the authorization of the first Gulf War by holding the resolution until after the 1990 midterms. Bush Jr. also initially rejected the Dep. of Homeland Security that the dems proposed and then reversed weeks before the midterms and declared the dems to be uninterested in protecting Americans from terrorists because they wanted the federal employees to be unionized.

From the start, Bush, Rove, Delay and other republicans agreed that they would only pass legislation that got a majority of republican caucus support and, when possible, they crafted legislation designed to attract as few democratic votes as possible. And that was just the legal stuff they did to alienate the opposition and doesn't include the nefarious actions to manufacture intelligence, to prosecute democrats and protect corrupt republicans.

[cactusgal]

If Boehner doesn't get candy at the check out stand, he's threatening to throw a big tantrum. I say let him scream & cry all the way out of the store, and then paddle his a$$ when we get back home.

[Shifted]

The obstructing Republicans are " . . . ideologically committed and predisposed to obstructionism . . . " It is not a matter of right or wrong it is a matter of wiring. Their collective thinking and commitment to power compels them to resist and refuse anything that is not of their doing. They only promote themselves. They are the representatives of fractions and factions. Their thinking is narrow and exclusive of the inner walls of the box.

[vesaversa1]

Enought already mr president in trying to appease these low life republicans , they have no sollutions in fixing this country economy . Continuing this fiasco only make you look weak when the american peoples chose you to lead .

[sonofdy1]

Not one liberal has yet to tell me where this one trillion in spending is coming from.

[soapington]

You realize your sentence means that every liberal has told you where this one trillion in spending is coming from?

[Mike Norman]

Any nation that spends in its own currency and where that currency is not backed by gold or subject to some fixed exchange rate, can spend all it wants. Spending is not limited or constrained in any way by how much tax revenue is collected or the need to sell securities.

Operationally the government spends by crediting bank accounts. Payments made by the Treasury, whether they go for the payment of social security, salaries to government employees, bailouts, infrastructure investment or deficit spending, result in an increase in reserves available to depository institutions. Both the sale of securities and the collection of taxes occur after the spending, meaning that the money to buy Treasuries and pay taxes comes from government spending itself. The only real constraint on spending is whether it adds to aggregate demand in such a way that all the capital (including human capital--workers) and resources of the nation are fully used. Any spending beyond that point would cause inflation.

[BSrepellent]

Did you ask Bush where he got the 1.3 trillion in tax cuts for his buddies, the 1.2 trillion the fiasco Iraq war has cost or the 700 billion the Bankers got with no oversight?

Did you ask him how we added 4 trillion to the national debt?

It's a bit sanctimonious when after 8 years of monumental incompetence and waste, you ask this question.

[combatveteran]

Not one "conservative" has told me where the costs of the Iraq war are coming from. Why this double standard. Real estimate 3 trillion. Where is it going to come from honey? What did my president Bush say regarding sacrifice "Well Jim, I think the American are sacrificing enough seeing the war on TV each and every night"

[joanno]

Obama is undoubedly learning how hard it is to stop sparring adults who are locked in child-like struggles. Understand this as squabbling siblings who have gone through a succession of step parents (presidents) who want the new dad to level the old playing field...of course assuring continued gridlock because everyone is still nursing old wounds. We need a healthy dose of grown-ups at the table. We should be watching carefully over these next few years for signs of maturity in our congresspeople. It is time to grow up!

[Viper]

Can some one PLS explain to Repugs that tax cuts dont work anymore in a global economy/the world is now flat! Just the way they wanted it!

Repugs are correct.. people will spend their money more efficiently than government.. which in this case is NOW the problem... they will invest in low wage countries to get a higher return just like where BUSH's tax cuts to the wealthy went... New plants in China built by US companies... then 4.5 million of our MFG jobs followed.

Also since the repugs have transfered over the last 30 years much of our MFG base overseas even what citizens buy here is not made here so the stimuli benefit flows to China as happened with the 150 billion stimuli package this past spring. 65% of the benefit went to China.

Yes 40 years ago tax cuts would mean that Americans then spent their money on goods made here and corporations invested in the U.S. No more. Therefore only government can now direct spending that is invested here and stimulates our economy and creates jobs here!

There is no free market system... our competitors are all planned economies, with single payer healthcare and tarrif rates on our goods ten times higher than what we charge them..


Regards

[unite4change]

It's nice to see you blogging out here but people start some dialogue with these representative and stop acting helpless. Contact them:

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

It's disheartening to watch the GOP on television complaining about after the stimulus package. Especially, since the GOP has controlled congress since the nineties, until 2006 and your control has left America in financial ruins. If the GOP was so concern about the deficit and future generations, when you had complete control, why did spending increase?

As much as President Obama tries, it is clear republicans don't want to be bipartisan, you are still looking for campaign issues and playing politics. The GOP doesn't have a viable vision for America, and continues to push the same old ideas for almost thirty years.

A new day has come to America. No longer will the American people allow the GOP or anyone else to refer to the government in third person. The American people are the government and your employer. We send you to Washington to represent our interest. Members of congress (employees) who have served themselves, big business and not the American people will be held accountable. Effective, November 4, 2008, the American people will only employ representatives who are looking out for Main Street too, not representatives we elect, and lobbyists buy. If the GOP doesn't want to work for the American people, let me suggest you seek other employment.

[67yrolfe]

Thank you unite4change. I've sent my emails and made phone calls too and have been begging folks here to do the same. We the People are the best lobbyists President Obama can have against the powers against us. I love blogging here but we must understand that the Congress doesn't sit around reading our comments. We have to go directly to them and let them know how we feel. And also let President Obama know at whitehouse.gov that we've got his back.

[rickey56]

Obama won quite a few Red States and from now on wants to come off as a Centrist. That is the only reason he is pretending to like the Republicans.

[Msohio]

I am sick of these republicans. I live in the state of Ohio and things here are terrible. Although I have been able to sustain the economy, I am concerned for my kids and neighbors. Just today I spoke with a business associate in Michigan and things there seem to be at a depression level. The republicans do not care about poor and suffering people. They just want to play politics against President Obama. Why didn't they do something when Bush was around? The republicans are the problem and next year when Senator Voinovich's (R) seat is up, I will be one rolling up my sleeves to ensure that a Democrat gets that seat, too. It is clear that these people do not want to understand. Obama is going for shovel-ready returns. These yo-yos want to continue to take care of their wall street thieving buddies. Just get ready republicans and Mr. backstabbing McCain!!! We will see that you all lose your comfy seats. Mitch McConnell barely won in November and he is back with his political gains. Because of you republicans and your former president, this country has taken six steps back. Obama won in November; you lost. So, drop the politics. You look like obstructionists.

[serena1313]

It is truly amazing that the Republicans are still pushing their agenda considering their policies were rejected overwhelmingly by the voters. It is more than just annoying they would rather dictate legislation than work in a bi-partisan way. Playing politics with the economy should go over well with their constituents!

No one is going to like everything in the bill, that comes with the territory. The stimulus bill needs smart projects that actually get people back to work. Yet Republicans are demanding more tax cuts, but tax-cuts won't get people back to work or help the economy.

Each dollar spent on infrastructure has a return of $1.59 in GDP growth whereas most tax-cuts yield less than fifty-cents! Infrastructure leaves you with something of value. In contrast it is not all that certain tax-cuts will even get spent muchless have anything to show for it.

Consider too that this money is being borrowed on the backs of future generations. Since we are spending their money shouldn't it be spent on building for their future and have something to show for it! I hardly think they would appreciate it being spent on cutting taxes.

Nevertheless the GOP got hundreds of billions of dollars worth of tax cuts and other concessions anyhow. That wasn't good enough they want more. Today Obama said no.

Ultimately the bill will get passed with or without them. How that plays with their constituents I'd venture to guess: probably, not well.

[River0007]

President Obama knows how treacherous the REPUGS are, The GOP will look stupid in the end. President Obama you're wasting your time with these baby meetings don't even entertain them. I'm sick of hearing about them everyday.

GOP=Annoying Drama Queens

[395spoons]

GOP=OBSTRUCTIONISTS!!

[stanjz]

I should have said the charges were only for text messages and email.