Boehner Unsure On Dems' $33B Offer

The Hill reports:

The $33 billion in spending cuts targeted by congressional negotiators is not a done deal, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) cautioned Thursday.

At a news conference, Boehner said lawmakers still have no agreement on a top-line figure for cutting 2011 spending and remain divided over controversial provisions demanded by Republicans that would defund the new healthcare law, Planned Parenthood and other White House policy objectives.

The Speaker also highlighted the pressure he and other House leaders face from the right wing of the GOP conference, saying he is “not very interested” in abandoning conservatives and building a coalition with centrist Democrats to pass a budget.

“There is no agreement on a set of numbers and nothing will be agreed to until everything is agreed to,” Boehner told reporters Thursday.

Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday night said Republicans, Democrats and the White House were making “good progress” on a deal to avert a government shutdown after April 8, when a short-term measure funding the government expires.

Biden said negotiators are “working off the same number now” and that “there is no reason why” they can’t reach an agreement. Biden acknowledged the two sides disagree over what should be included in the spending cuts.

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