The House Passes Obama’s Budget Deal

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action 

The United States House of Representatives passed a budget deal that was reached between Democrats and Republicans.  The deal helped legislators to avert a pending government shutdown that was bound to occur if an agreement had not been reached.  House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid worked with President Obama to slice $38 Billion from the federal budget over the next six months.

The final vote on the deal was 260 – 167.  Republicans were most favorable toward the deal, providing 179 votes.  Only 81 Democrats supported the measure.   Now, the bill is set to head to the Senate, where it is predicted that it will pass and then be sent to the White House for President Obama’s signature.

The recent deficit speech given by President Obama showed the kind of backbone  and compassion that his constituents have been seeking for quite some time.  His ideas were realistic, productive and seemed to provide a vision designed to shape our nation’s value systems.  All the while, some have argued that the cuts in the current budget are more cosmetic than meaningful, putting the onus on Washington leadership to provide something more substantive. 

The fact that the Republicans seem to love the budget is obviously a point of concern for the American people.  Republicans have made it quite clear that they are the party of the rich, and have worked to put the interests of corporations and the wealthy ahead of senior citizens and the poor.  The battle appears to have just begun, and with 2012 being a presidential election year, the fireworks are going to be enormous.

 

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University.  To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.