Known by his colleagues for his high-octane energy level and peripatetic approach to legislating, House Budget Committee Chairman John Kasich, R-Ohio, may want to keep better track of the various trial balloons he releases at one time.
Last month, following a speech to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Kasich told CongressDaily he wanted Congress to create an automatic continuing resolution to prevent any future government shutdowns, and that he would include such language in this year's budget resolution. Members of the Conservative Action Team even wrote to Kasich that they "were encouraged to learn that you intend to include an automatic continuing resolution in your committee's budget."
But, when asked about it last week, Kasich said he did not know whether he would pursue the matter; markup of the budget resolution is scheduled for this Wednesday.
Budget member Jim Nussle, R-Iowa, a leading advocate of budget process reform, was unaware that Kasich had floated the idea and added that creating an automatic CR requires statutory change-and that a budget resolution does not have the force of law.
House Rules Legislative and Budget Process Subcommittee Chairman Porter Goss, R-Fla., was similarly baffled, and, like Nussle, said their budget process reform bill already contains automatic CR language. Even former Budget Committee Staff Director Rick May could not figure out what Kasich was up to-or whether the idea may have legs. Stay tuned.
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