House went home, Senate stays wk f/hiwy bill; GOP wants severe austerity to avoid debt ceil in Oct

Campaign for America's Future

CONGRESS' FALL TO-DO LIST PILES UP

House passes 3-month transportation bill, pushing deadline back to October.

The Hill:
“The House is adjourning … But senators are planning to stay in Washington next week … to finish a six-year transportation bill to jumpstart conference negotiations … ‘Sen. McConnell and I, while we have a disagreement over this bill … we both want to get to a long-term highway bill,’ Speaker John Boehner (said.)”

http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/249685-house-approves-three-month-highway-bill


Debt limit may also be reached in October.

The Hill:
“(Treasury Secretary Jack) Lew told lawmakers that while he cannot pinpoint when the nation would be in danger of missing debt payments without a borrowing boost, he was confident he would be able to avoid default until at least late October.”

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/249680-lew-debt-limit-boost-not-necessary-until-late-october


To keep government open, Republicans demand stingier spending than what they backed 10 years ago.

Politico:
“When adjusted for inflation, the level of nondefense appropriations in 2006 turns out to be almost identical to what Republicans are now asking Obama to accept for 2016 under the Budget Control Act … But it ignores the fact that the nation has grown in the past decade, and the cost of medical services for veterans has exploded … Despite the increase in student enrollment, aid to the nation’s public schools is significantly less than what Republicans supported in 2006.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/analysis-barack-obama-budget-sequestration-spending-cuts-fall-120770.html