U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says a Republican budget plan approved in the House of Representatives earlier this month could come up for a vote in his chamber. However, U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) says Democrats are unlikely to give the plan any votes.
Kohl says the proposal, which makes drastic cuts to Medicaid, is decidedly on the conservative side and edges to the point where there’s no chance it could become national policy.
Any vote is likely to be used to put Senate Republicans on record as favoring public assistance cuts while also providing tax breaks to wealthier Americans.
Kohl says Congress is serious about reducing the federal deficit and several plans will be offered in the coming months. The Wisconsin Democrat says he favors an approach that requires a shared sacrifice among Americans. That could include cuts to public assistance programs, while also implementing tax increases for wealthy individuals and corporations.
Kohl says most Americans will see that as a more reasonable approach than the House budget.