Conservatives Seek Defeat of Budget Plan
Conservative groups are urging House Republicans to oppose a budget deal that is coming up for a vote later today.
Some House Democrats are also unhappy with it, because it doesn't contain a provision to renew jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed. But the plan is expected to pass in the House.
It would ease $63 billion in scheduled spending cuts and replace them with longer-term savings measures.
Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama complains that "it's a fee increase to fuel a spending increase."
Boehner takes on critics on his right
House Speaker John Boehner is fed up with critics who say he and his GOP colleagues aren't conservative enough.
Boehner is speaking out against right-leaning interest groups like Heritage Action. The Ohio Republican is defending a budget agreement that Heritage Action and other groups attacked before it was even made public.
Boehner told reporters Thursday that such conservative critics — quote — "have lost all credibility."
The House speaker blames the groups for pushing GOP lawmakers into the confrontation over the president's health care law that touched off a partial government shutdown in October and hurt Republicans politically.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved)