House budget vote likely to be pushed back

The House will not act on the fiscal 2007 budget resolution until after the St. Patrick's Day recess, several sources said Tuesday, leaving the timetable for agreement on the budget blueprint in doubt.

The House Budget Committee scrapped plans to mark up the measure this week amid lingering GOP disagreements and with the leadership's attention diverted by next week's consideration of a $91 billion fiscal 2006 supplemental spending bill and other matters.

House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, earlier told reporters it was unlikely the Budget panel would act this week. He said members wanted more time to discuss that issue as well as an accompanying package of unspecified budget process changes that he said would move "in tandem" with the budget resolution.

"We are sitting in rooms, we are talking to each other and trying to resolve differences," Boehner said. "And what those budget reforms are, what is doable, what can pass -- [there is] a lot of conversation about that."

A similar effort to overhaul the budget process failed to even get off the House floor two years ago, however, and proved to be a distraction while House and Senate Republicans failed to agree on a budget resolution.

House Budget Chairman Jim Nussle, R-Iowa, who is running for governor in Iowa and would like to seal a budget agreement, declined to comment, other than to say he continues to work on the budget plan. Other Republicans, especially Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, would like a budget agreement because that is the only way provisions to allow energy exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge can become law.

Senate Budget Chairman Judd Gregg, R-N.H., is including instructions in the budget to the Energy and Natural Resources Committee to report out ANWR legislation, which upon final passage of the budget would enable approval of ANWR drilling on a filibuster-proof simple majority vote.

Unlike last year, ANWR would be unencumbered by controversial plans to cut entitlement programs like Medicaid, Medicare and student loans, perhaps peeling off votes from House Democrats representing oil and gas-producing regions. Still, supporters acknowledged it was a long way from approval.

The Senate was planning to act on its fiscal 2007 budget plan next week before departing for the week-long break. But floor action depends on whether Gregg can successfully report out his mark Thursday; he indicated attendance problems might pose hurdles.

"The plan is to go ahead. I do have some issues with some members who have family issues on Thursday, and as you know there are no proxies in the Budget Committee," Gregg said. "But I plan to go ahead [Wednesday] and have it out on Thursday."

Gregg's budget plan is expected to hold discretionary spending to about $873 billion, a 3.5 percent increase over last year. President Bush's budget would steer most of that to defense, but Gregg was considering a mechanism to impose a 60-vote point of order against designating defense spending above a certain limit as "emergency" funds to get around budget caps.

"I do think we're running two budgets. One is disciplined, the other undisciplined," Gregg said.

The Senate could approve the measure by the end of next week, although debate on other issues, including the lobbying bill, is eating up floor time.