Congress was able to come to an agreement on the 2013 budget on Thursday, just in time to avoid a government shutdown. The peace they shared lasted for just a short while, as talks of the 2014 budget put both sides of the aisle back at odds, according to CNN.com.
The bill for the 2013 budget passed in the House, 318-109. The 2013 budget will fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends in September and helps alleviate the problem of $85 billion dollars in spending cuts.
If no bill was passed, the government would face an imminent partial shutdown on March 27.
Despite the accomplishment for all parties involved, there is more work to be done. The House, controlled by Republicans, passed a new budget for the 2014 fiscal year on the same day the 2013 budget was approved.
However, according to CNN, the new 2014 budget is “guaranteed to go nowhere in the Democratic-run Senate.”
No House Democrats voted for this new budget, created by Republican Rep. Paul Ryan. The new budget called for repealing President Barack Obama’s health care plan, and huge adjustments to Medicare. It would cut taxes while reducing spending by $4.6 trillion.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, believed the Ryan budget was more of a statement and called it a “bold move”, according to CNN.
The Senate, with a majority of Democrats, would vote on it in a statement of their own— it failed 59-40. Senate Democrats would produce their own budget for 2014 on Thursday.
Sen. Jeff Hawkins, R-Ala, would call for a vote to send it back to committee. He challenged Senate Democrats to, like the plan Ryan produced, come up with a plan that would balance the budget in 10 years. His motion was voted down 46-53.
"Debt is pulling down our economy now. Not tomorrow -- now," he said according to FoxNews.com. "But tonight, the Senate's majority party denied the American people the growth, jobs, and confidence a balanced budget would create. They denied our children a future free of crushing debt. They denied millions trapped in failed government programs the reforms they need and deserve."
Much like the 2013 budget, it seems both sides are nowhere near an agreement for 2014.
