Earlier on American Morning, New York Democrat Sen. Charles Schumer told AM’s Kiran Chetry the Tea Party and their proposed cuts were the "only thing standing in the way of an agreement" on the federal budget. Georgia Republican Rep. Tom Price responds on AM.
Rep. Price tells AM's Ali Velshi it is the Senate Democrats who have not acted yet. "They're negotiating with themselves right now," he tells AM. "What they need to do is act."
Price says it's up to the Senate Democrats to avoid a government shutdown.
They have until the end of the week to finally figure it out. Friday is the deadline for Congress to come to an agreement on the 2011 federal budget. The resolution currently funding the government expires Friday at midnight.
The White House is looking to get Senate Democrats to agree with Republican proposed budget cuts, but there is uncertainty if the House’s most conservative wing, backed by the Tea Party, will accept the Senate’s final legislation.
The Tea Party proposed cuts are too “extreme,” according to New York Democrat Sen. Charles Schumer. This morning Sen. Schumer explains to American Morning’s Kiran Chetry why he thinks the Tea Party’s proposals are hurting negotiations.
What programs would Schumer cut? And, how much money does Congress need to negotiate to come to a deal?
Senator Rand Paul, R, Kentucky, is barely a freshman in congress but he is making his mark in Washington by releasing his own proposal for tackling spending and the federal budget. Paul says that too much of our federal budget goes to to entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare and that "our companies can't compete with foreign companies because our tax burden is too high."
Later this week Senator Paul will unveil his budget proposal that he tells Kiran Chetry will save nearly $500 billion dollars in one year alone. Paul explains just how he will do it on American Morning.
The House of Representatives begins debate this morning on H.R. 2 or as its named, "Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act." Co-sponsored by Representative Steve King, R, Iowa and Representative Michele Bachmann, R, Minnesota, the bill hopes to repeal President Obama's health care reform legislation of last year. But with President Obama still in office and sure to veto any legislation the bill seems largely a symbolic effort.
Even amongst the public, a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll out this morning shows that Obama's approval rating is up five points since last month and support for repealing isn't overwhelming.
Before the debate begins, Rep. Steve King joins T.J. Holmes on American Morning defending the bill and saying the effort is all in hopes of electing a new president in 2012.
When Rep. Gabrielle Giffords opened her eyes last night for the first time, spontaneously and on her own volition, since this past Saturdays shooting in Tucson, two of her closest colleagues in Congress were in the room to witness it. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D, New York, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D, Florida, were visiting Giffords when the miraculous moment happened.
Today on American Morning, Wasserman Schultz tells Kiran Chetry that the doctors were amazed by Gabby Giffords "incredible progress" in the hospital last night.