Washington Week Ahead: House GOP eyes ag cuts in crafting budget deal

House Republicans look to roll out a fiscal 2018 budget blueprint this week that could cut farm bill spending to help offset the cost of increased defense spending or tax cuts. Even as the nation was focused on the Senate’s health care debate, House negotiations continued into the weekend on the budget resolution, which is expected to include at least $150 billion in cuts to mandatory spending programs, a category that includes farm programs and food stamps as well as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Some conservatives have been pushing for a bigger cut than that. The budget resolution will pave the way for Republicans to approve major tax reform legislation using a process known as budget reconciliation that would allow the measure to pass the Senate with only GOP votes. Reconciliation measures require only a simple majority, not the normal 60 votes, to pass the Senate.
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