Right voices opposition to funding plan

Leading conservatives are voicing opposition to a plan that would avoid a government shutdown by funding most of the government through next September.
Speaking at an event moderated by the conservative Heritage Foundation, the lawmakers described the plan as a concession and called on House Republicans to only agree to a short-term funding bill for the government.
{mosads}They said it made no sense to agree to a longer-term funding measure when Republicans are about to take over the Senate majority in January.
“The cavalry is coming,” said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). “Why in the world would you want to extend a CR [continuing resolution] for several months without waiting for those people to get here?”
The complaints came as House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) presented a two-part plan for funding the government and responding to President Obama’s immigration executive actions to a closed-door conference meeting.
GOP leaders appear to be coalescing around a plan to move a so-called “CRomnibus” that would fund most of the government through September 2015, but only fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for a few months.
That would allow the GOP Congress to revisit that funding next year, while avoiding the danger of a full government shutdown. The current measure funding the government must be extended by Dec. 11.
But Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) said funding the DHS just through March would be excessive and added it made “no sense” to fund the rest of the government through September.
“That seems way too long,” Huelskamp said. “The shorter, the better.”
Rep. John Fleming (R-La.) suggested that consideration of government spending for 2015 could be the first vote of the new Congress.
“Why would we extend a continuing resolution into March for DHS? Why not vote on it the first day we’re back?” Fleming asked.
House GOP leaders and Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) have urged the rank-and-file to support a long-term measure in order to avoid distractions from the planned opening agenda at the start of next year.
Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho) argued the House GOP should send an appropriations measure to the Senate that blocks funding for President Obama’s executive action as its opening salvo. Then, if the Senate rejects it, Congress could revert to a short-term continuing resolution.
Labrador said that the proposed strategy of passing a spending bill that doesn’t impose limitations on implementing the executive action amounted to a concession by the GOP.
“I think, in essence, by separating the two, you’re capitulating,” Labrador said.
This story was updated at 1:36 p.m.
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