Senate Budget chair: Budget blueprint can’t adjust sequester caps itself

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) said Wednesday his upcoming budget blueprint couldn’t adjust sequestration budget caps itself, which some Republicans and many Democrats want to change.

Following a hearing on a balanced budget, Enzi was asked to discuss procedural issues that could prevent him from raising the defense sequester cap for next year in the budget, which some lawmakers are pushing. 

“The Budget [Control] Act is what controls sequester, which is what people are concerned about. So changing the principle of sequester isn’t possible through the budget itself,” Enzi told reporters. “That would have to be addressed through the Budget [Control] Act itself. But there are ways of putting some flexibility in for the things that need to be done.” 

{mosads}Asked whether that could mean a possible reserve fund, Enzi declined to share details about the blueprint, which is nonbinding and does not require a presidential signature.

Under Senate rules, lawmakers would likely have to vote on a budget point of order in order to change the spending limits set by the Budget Control Act of 2011, according to a Congressional Research Service report. The measure set spending ceilings for the Pentagon and nondefense domestic programs through 2021. 

Both Enzi and his House counterpart, Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), have kept their separate budget plans under wraps but have hinted at resolutions that balance. Price has previously said he wants to maintain the sequestration budget caps for fiscal 2016 and has raised the idea of eliminating the firewall between defense and nondefense in order to provide more money to the military at the expense of domestic programs.

Enzi’s comment comes just a week before he’s expected to unveil the Senate GOP’s budget resolution and as some of his colleagues hold informal talks with Democrats about lifting the sequester caps. 

On Monday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told reporters about a “mini Simpson-Bowles” plan that could be an option for replacing sequestration.

The proposal, he said, could involve closing “loopholes” in the tax code if Democrats are willing to make concessions on entitlements.

Even if the Senate manages to raise the spending caps, Republicans will face a challenge in the House, where conservatives would likely oppose any allowances for higher spending.