Durbin says House GOP budget hurts chance of economic recovery

Durbin said the bill would kill education grants, research and development and health research, and said these and other cuts are “short-sighted.”

“I would say to my friends on the Republican side, yes, the deficit’s an issue, but first and foremost understand, we will never, never balance the budget with 15 million Americans out of work,” Durbin said.

The senator said he would continue to work with a bipartisan group of senators on a budget plan. Durbin is working with Sens. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Mark Warner (D-Va.).

Senate Democrats next week are hoping to hold votes on H.R. 1 and a Senate Democratic bill that would cut another $6.5 billion from the budget. Democrats are arguing that with the $45 billion that has already been cut from President Obama’s FY 2011 budget request, cutting another $6.5 billion would bring those cuts to $51 billion, which meets Republicans more than halfway to their goal of cutting $100 billion.