House Dems prepare alternative to budget that would avoid deficit vote

House Democrats are readying an alternative budget measure
that would set next year’s spending levels without requiring a vote on deficits.

House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt (D-S.C.) said
the alternative would be the “functional equivalent” of a full-fledged budget.
But because it won’t be a traditional budget resolution, it will be silent on
future deficits, which are expected to average nearly $1 trillion for the next
decade.

{mosads}Democrats have expressed concern about voting for a document
showing lots of red ink in an election year.

A traditional budget resolution sets the discretionary
spending levels and also lays out the majority’s fiscal policies for future
years. Alternative budget measures, known in past years as “deeming
resolutions,” set spending caps but lack the statement on future spending and
tax policies.

House Republicans have seized on Democrats’ inability to
even bring up a budget resolution for consideration. Budget rules call on
lawmakers to pass a budget by April 15.

Republicans had control of the House the previous four times
Congress failed to approve a final budget resolution since 1974, when the
current budget rules were put into place. But should Democrats move forward with
an alternative budget measure, it would be the first time the House had failed
to even propose a budget resolution.

“We need a real budget to stop Washington Democrats’
out-of-control spending spree, which is scaring the hell out of the American
people, and to create jobs,” said Michael Steel, spokesman for House Minority
Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio).

In addition to setting spending levels for 2011, the
alternative budget may have other provisions, such as squaring the
pay-as-you-go law signed by President Barack Obama with the similar
pay-as-you-go House rule, Spratt said. Both PAYGO measures require new tax cuts
or that entitlement programs be paid for with tax increases or spending cuts, but
the House PAYGO rule, in place since before the law was enacted, can be more
easily bypassed than the PAYGO law.

Spratt cautioned the work isn’t finished.

“It would have some other provisions we need to deal
with, like maybe alignment of the statutory and House rules for PAYGO,”
Spratt said. “But we’re making progress. I believe we’re going to get to
the endpoint. I don’t want to misrepresent anything by saying we’re there yet.
We aren’t. We’re drawing alternatives.”

Spratt said the budget may be attached to an upcoming
supplemental spending bill, which will provide funding for the Iraq and
Afghanistan wars, domestic disaster aid and possibly fiscal aid to states and
local governments to retain public workers.

Democrats have been trying to figure out how to move forward
with the annual budget since April.

Fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats have been pressing
House leaders for a 2 percent spending cut to non-security discretionary
spending, which would go beyond the spending freeze that the White House has
called for.

Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.), a senior Blue Dog, said he was
“confident” the cut would be in place when Spratt’s budget proposal comes out.