President Obama could be facing an uphill battle to pass his latest proposal to boost the nation’s economy as spending-weary Democrats cringe at the $50 billion price tag and Republicans reject what they have labeled as another stimulus measure.
Obama on Monday trumpeted a proposal to use federal funding to rebuild the nation’s railways, roads and runways at a Labor Day rally in Milwaukee, but it landed with a thud in the halls of Congress the next morning.
“We’ll see what Senate can do, but there is not much appetite for more spending,” a key Democratic aide told The Washington Examiner.
Before leaving town for the summer recess, lawmakers fought a bruising battle over so-called stimulus spending, barely passing a whittled-down version of a state aid package aimed at helping states retain teachers, firefighters and other essential employees.
While the $26.1 billion bill finally made it to Obama’s desk, the message was clear that Democrats were in no mood to pass any additional spending bills until after the November elections.
“Zero chance of passage pre-election,” Democratic strategist Doug Schoen told The Examiner. “Maybe they can pass this in the House. But given the declining popularity of president and the increasing desire of Democrats to distance themselves from unpopular White House policies, and Republican efforts to brand this a second stimulus, I’m not sure they will be successful.”
House Democrats, already burned several times this year by passing bills that die in the Senate, have signaled they plan to wait for the other chamber to pass the proposal. But Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said there are no immediate plans to take up the measure.
Manley said he expects the bill will be considered before the election, but said Democratic leaders are working on “timing and strategy.”
Senate Democrats control just 59 votes and would need at least one Republican to support the plan to prevent a GOP filibuster. And among the 59 Democratic votes, a few may be lost because Obama wants to pay for the spending with tax increases on oil and gas companies.
Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., who is at odds with the Obama administration over its decision to suspend drilling for oil in the Gulf, refused to endorse the plan on Monday, though she is undecided.
“Sen. Landrieu has been and continues to be skeptical of paying for otherwise-beneficial proposals with tax hikes on the oil and gas industry,” said her spokesman, Aaron Saunders. “While these tax increases may be politically popular in some areas of the country, they have a disproportionately negative effect on working families in the Gulf Coast where much of the industry is located. Sen. Landrieu fully supports getting America’s economy back on track, but feels that it should not be done at the expense of the Gulf Coast.”
In a conference call with reporters Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., was noncommittal, blaming Republicans for refusing to back any Democratic initiatives.
“We’ll be looking at that,” Hoyer said of Obama’s proposal. “But I think it will be very difficult to get a very broad agenda through because Republican obstruction has not allowed us to do some of the job creation we want.”
