Congress, the budget, and Parties as coalitions

Bardes et al. discuss budget making in chapter 10. As noted in class, we willcome back to the budget iin the last section of the course, although you are welcome to write papers about it now. Many articles about the budget process will be published inthe next few weeks, since congress is supposed to have a budget resolution by April 15.

This time of sizable deficits is brining out some conflict within the majority party, as seen in USA Today a couple weeks ago (hey, I was on Spring break, too):

GOP edges away from proposed cuts
Trimming benefits could be costly for lawmakers in election year

From wire reports

WASHINGTON With many Republicans nervous about cutting popular programs in an election year, lawmakers in the House and Senate are signaling they won't support President Bush's newest proposals for politically painful cuts in Medicare and other government benefits.
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg, R-N.H., said the budget he'll put to a vote in his committee today won't include Bush's plans to cut Medicare, farm subsidies and food stamps. After shepherding through a five-year, $39 billion benefit-cut bill last year, Gregg said he didn't have the support he needed for a second round of cuts to entitlement programs such as Medicare....
...
Election-year politics have driven many of Gregg's decisions and have frustrated the conservative New Englander, who is one of Congress' most ardent advocates of bringing federal benefit programs such as Social Security and Medicare under control before the baby boomers' retirement overwhelms them.