The House passed the Republican's budget proposal, authored by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), largely along party lines, 228-191. It needed 218 to pass.
Of note: 10 Republicans voted against the proposal, which is up from the only four Republicans, who voted against the Ryan budget last year. No Democrats voted for it.
But this budget's journey is now effectively over, as even if Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the Senate minority leader, forced a vote on the bill, it would not pass.
The GOP budget would:
- Decrease spending levels for FY 2013 to $1.028 trillion, which is less than what was agreed upon during last year's debt limit deal
- Cuts deficit by $5.3 trillion compared to Obama's budget proposal
- Would not balance the budget until 2040
- Would rework the automatic defense cuts scheduled as a result of the Supercommittee's failure
- Would drastically change Medicare for people under 55, turning the program into a "voucher" program where new members pick between private insurance programs as well as the current Medicare program.
- Would initiate comprehensive tax reform, which would reduce the number of tax brackets from the six we have now to only two, among other things.
Vote breakdown:
Yea: 228R, 0D
Nay: 10R, 181D
Total: 228Y, 191N
GOP Reps voting nay:
Amash
Barton
Duncan (TN)
Gibson
Huelskamp
Jones
McKinley
Platts
Rehberg
Whitfield
