No Guarantee Paul Ryan Budget Passes House

Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) budget, which the Tea Party and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin blasted as a “joke,” is in danger of not passing the House next week. 

Not only is it not fiscally conservative enough, there is bad will among conservatives after the GOP leadership rammed through the so-called “doc fix” last week. 

As Politico notes, passing Ryan’s budget “has always been a heavy lift for leadership, with little margin for error.” For instance, Ryan’s budget last year “passed by a seven-vote margin with 10 Republicans voting no.”

After House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer told Politico that Democrats would unanimously vote against the budget, “Republicans can afford to lose only 16 of their own members… all 10 Republicans who voted against the budget last year are expected to oppose it again.” 

In addition, Rep. Jack Kingston, who is running for Senate in Georgia, is “likely to vote against the budget.” Others, like Reps. Steve King (R-IA), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), and Tim Huelskamp (R-KS), indicated they are also on the fence. And there may be more who are reconsidering. 

According to Politico, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) “have spent the past week explaining the doc fix tactic, trying to contain the damage and solidify their vote count” and trying to placate conservatives who are angry that the GOP leadership worked with Democrats to ram through the measure via voice vote. Conservatives like Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) have noted that the action reminded them of how Nancy Pelosi used to do business when Democrats were in the majority. There may be enough bad will left that Ryan’s budget could be collateral damage next week, especially after so many grassroots conservatives came out strongly against it.