The Real Battle Begins

Living through the dog days of August 2011 entails more than enduring heat and humidity. This is the period of congressional recess where advocates have a full month to lobby Members of Congress on issues of importance to them. With the focus on the Super Committee’s mandate to tackle entitlements and tax reform per the debt ceiling agreement, local community groups will need to bring their “A” game to preserve funding for their priority programs. It will not be easy. Now that the committee has been named, the focus will be on the individuals appointed to the panel. There will be tremendous pressure for them to reach consensus on a deal. Because of what is at stake, they will ultimately reach a deal. Neither side wants to trigger the across the board cuts which will occur if an agreement...

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Navigating the Presidential Politics of 2012 Begins Now!

The race for the presidency has begun. The debt ceiling agreement and its plan to reduce federal spending was the first salvo in the battle to claim the White House. Presidential politics is the order of the day between now and next November.While many media outlets have identified winners and losers in the debt ceiling debate, it is more important to understand the lessons learned from the last few months. In this post, we will look at lessons we should have learned from this debate (or debacle depending on your perspective):The nation’s fiscal situation has changed the nation’s political dynamics and community groups must adjust to this new reality. The new reality is more complicated than simply choosing between a more conservative Republican versus liberal Democratic approach to governance....

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Obama Should Leave the Table

President Barack Obama needs to end negotiations immediately. The time for talk is over. It is time to get a deal done and it is clear these individuals can’t get agree on anything. We are at a point where saving face is as important as getting a credible deal done. It is time to move on. When everyone convenes Thursday, the president should tell all in attendance that he appreciates their effort, but there is not enough time to put together a deal that addresses the deficit and inflicts the least amount of pain on Americans. He should say he will only accept an unconditional increase in the debt ceiling. He should say after he receives this authority, he will submit the findings of his deficit commission to Congress in legislative...

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Danger Lurking as Deficit Drama Continues

The drama surrounding the deficit reduction talks is not a good sign for domestic programs. With Republicans dug against tax increases the underlying question in the current stalemate is: who will blink first? For supporters of domestic spending it doesn’t matter. In the end, domestic programs, including housing, will take it on the chin. How serious a blow these programs will receive won’t be resolved until the deficit discussion is completed. Until an agreement is reached, all discussions on a FY 2012 budget are in hold. Therefore, it is not a surprise that the House Transportation-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee cancelled this week’s mark-up of a FY 2012 appropriations bill. After the deficit reduction numbers are agreed to, the real...

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Pressure Heating Up on Deficit Talks

Now that President Barack Obama is more directly involved in the discussions to negotiate an agreement on deficit reduction, the pressure is building on all sides to bend before the nation’s debt ceiling needs to be lifted more than a month from now. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s (R-VA) decision to abruptly pull out of the talks in objection to potential tax increases does more to absolve him of any responsibility for an agreement he and his conservative allies oppose than it does to bring both parties closer together. Cantor can read the writing on the wall. House and Senate Republicans have expressed a willingness to explore the elimination of corporate tax loopholes and cuts to defense spending in order to reach a compromise with...

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