Parties Review Plan for $40B in Cuts

Politico reports:

The threat of a government shutdown diminished late Friday night after White House and congressional negotiators reached agreement on controversial policy riders in the stalled government funding measure, and closed in on a final compromise on cuts around $40 billion.

House Republican leaders and their top staff were in Speaker John Boehner’s office vetting a detailed White House budget proposal that would keep the government funded and prevent a shutdown. But Republicans were still cautious — House Republican Conference Chair Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) emerged from Boehner’s office Friday night saying there is still no deal.

The GOP conference will meet tonight. House Rules and Appropriations committee staff filed into Boehner’s suite of offices in the Capitol, as did Ways and Means Committee Reps. Patrick Tiberi (R-Ohio), Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) and Darrell Issa (R-Calif.).

The breakthrough came late Friday evening but there are still hurdles regarding the final details on spending cuts, and it’s unclear whether the latest round of negotiating will be enough to avert a government shutdown at midnight.

GOP and Democratic sources did not provide POLITICO with any other details about exactly what the breakthrough is on the policy riders, the most controversial of which involves defunding Planned Parenthood. However, Democratic officials familiar with the talks said Republicans had backed down, and that alternatives — such as a standalone vote or a study on Title X funding — may be offered as a concession.

Asked whether he was optimistic Friday night, Speaker John Boehner said, “you know me, I was born with the glass half full.”

Indeed, the negotiating seemed to heat up Friday night after a long day of partisan sniping that made a shutdown look inevitable.

Earlier Friday evening, Boehner told Senate Democrats he was considering a four-day “bridge” continuing resolution that cut more than $3 billion in funds as a way to postpone a shutdown.

A Senate GOP source was even more optimistic Friday night: “We expect that Boehner and Reid will work through the night to finalize the details of a long term spending bill. But a deal is close enough that we’ll pass a short term CR tonight.”

The House has recessed for the day, but both chambers could easily be called back into session if there is a real breakthrough. There are no official meetings scheduled between the top negotiators, but that could change at a moment’s notice.