Dems letting GOP take first move on CR

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said Tuesday that Senate Democrats do not yet have a plan for dealing with the continuing resolution (CR) needed to fund the government past March 4.

“We just came together,” he said, noting the Senate reconvened Tuesday after recessing since Jan. 5.  “I don’t think there is a plan yet to deal with the CR yet.”

“Let’s see what the Republicans come up with,” House Budget Committee ranking member Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said at the same press conference.

However, he said Republicans are “playing with fire” if they want to make draconian cuts to spending this year.

Conrad agreed. He noted that the president’s deficit commission suggested increasing spending in the first year to cement the recovery, before imposing a combination of spending cuts, entitlement reform and tax code changes to address the debt.