Obama Administration Urging Democrats to Pass $1.1 Billion Spending Bill - East Idaho News
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Obama Administration Urging Democrats to Pass $1.1 Billion Spending Bill

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WhiteHouse 121114 ObamaPhone?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1418334390387Official White House Photo by Pete Souza(WASHINGTON) — The Obama administration is utilizing a political full-court press Thursday afternoon, calling on Democrats to pass the $1.1 billion spending bill known as the CRomnibus.

The bill must be signed by midnight Thursday night in order to avoid a shutdown. However, the CRomnibus contains a number of amendments that have both sides balking. As such, President Obama, Vice President Biden, Cabinet members and other senior administration officials have been making calls to Democrats on Capitol Hill urging them to pass the bill.

Nonetheless, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is calling on Democratic lawmakers to use what leverage they have to oppose amendments that would dismantle Wall Street regulation and end campaign finance reform. Conservatives, on the other hand, don’t feel that the measure does enough to stop President Obama’s executive order on immigration.

House Speaker John Boehner said in a Thursday press conference that “if we don’t get finished today, we’re going to be here until Christmas. You all know how this process works.”

Earlier Thursday, the House passed a procedural vote to advance debate on the bill. Still, it appears there may not be enough votes to pass the bill through the House.

Even if the bill does pass the House, it’s not clear whether the Senate would take up a vote prior to the midnight deadline.

Lawmakers could still pass a short-term continuing resolution in the hopes of buying the Senate time to pass the $1.1 billion CRomnibus.

On the floor of the U.S. Senate Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., criticized provisions of the spending bill that she says favor Wall Street interests.

“A vote for this bill is a vote for future taxpayer bailouts of Wall Street,” Warren said in a feisty speech. “Why in the last minute as you head out the door and a spending bill must be passed are you making it a priority to do Wall Street’s bidding? Who do you work for: Wall Street or the American people?”

Warren, who is often mentioned as a potential 2016 Democratic presidential contender, added, “It is time for all of us to stand up and fight.”

Meanwhile, the Obama administration has alerted all federal agencies to dust off their contingency plans for a government shutdown “out of an abundance of caution,” an Office of Management and Budget official tells ABC News.

On a conference call this afternoon, the Office of Management and Budget asked agencies to “take steps to prepare for all contingencies, including a potential lapse in funding.”

But the official suggested that the administration still sees that scenario as unlikely, noting both the omnibus legislation before Congress and various shorter-term back-up plans.


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