Rest up and hit the books

Rest up and hit the books

(Willoughby) News-Herald: While some progress is made on federal budget cuts, both sides of the aisle deviate little from their initial positions while another temporary budget is passed and real reforms remain on the back burner.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

Obama administration officials have already met with top aides to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to discuss a compromise package of cuts that would be included in a longer-term bill funding the government for the six months remaining in the budget year.

The House has passed a bill calling for $61 billion in cuts, but it lacks enough support to pass in the Senate, and Obama has threatened to veto it.

It is not clear what, if any, progress has been made toward a possible compromise.

No time for games

At a time when difficult decisions need to be made, it appears Congress is locked in a game of political chicken to see who blinks first.

We understand that to a certain degree, that’s the nature of politics — but we feel the financial issues facing the country require our leaders to go beyond politics as usual.

We encourage congressional leaders to get plenty of rest during their vacation so that upon their return to Washington, D.C., they can work twice as hard to pass a longer-term budget.