Republicans Postponing Budget Work Until 2007, Democrats Say

By Brian Faler

Nov. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Republican congressional leaders have put off their remaining budget work until next year, dumping almost a half-trillion dollars of spending bills on the incoming Democratic majority, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said.

Reid's office has been alerted by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist that Republicans have decided to pass another stopgap spending measure when they return to Washington next month and leave the rest of the budget work needed to fund the government next year to the Democrats, said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Reid.

Frist is looking into pushing remaining bills off until 2007, Eric Ueland, Frist's chief of staff, said in an e-mail. Frist is discussing ``what is feasible and achievable so that essential government operations don't turn off'' or that core government functions aren't crippled.

Before leaving last week for a two-week Thanksgiving break, lawmakers passed a stop-gap spending measure to keep the government running through Dec. 8. When they return to Washington Dec. 4, they will pass a third such measure to keep the government's doors open into next year, Manley said.

Such a move would leave the new Democratic majority with the responsibility to pass the nine remaining spending bills, totaling almost $500 billion for government programs ranging from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to the national parks.

It also would complicate Democrats' plans to focus on their issues such as raising the minimum wage, lifting restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research and cutting interest rates on student loans when they take control of both the House and Senate in January.

Two Spending Measures

Congress sent two spending measures to President George W. Bush's desk -- funding the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security -- before stopping at the end of September to campaign for re-election.

``No concrete decisions have been made yet,'' said Kevin Madden, a spokesman for House Majority Leader John Boehner, an Ohio Republican. The House has approved all but one of its spending bills and has been waiting on the Senate.

Manley called the Republican action an abdication of responsibility.

``This is only the latest example of why the American people rejected this do-nothing Congress at the ballot box earlier this month,'' he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Brian Faler in Washington at bfaler@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 20, 2006 22:11 EST

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