WASHINGTON, June 11 (UPI) -- An agreement on the 2005 federal budget resolution continues to elude U.S. Senate Republican leaders.
GOP leaders met this week with the four moderate Republicans holdouts -- Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Olympia Snowe of Maine, John McCain of Arizona and Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island. Both sides floated several possible compromises, to no avail, aides said.
The 2005 budget resolution would carve out a $27.5 billion exemption for three cuts scheduled to expire this year -- the $1,000 per child tax credit, the standard deduction for married couples and an expanded 10 percent income bracket -- from requirements they be paid for, a position opposed by the outstanding Republican members.
While the House has approved the measure and the Senate can proceed with making appropriations for next year, the budget resolutions provide protections that would block Senate Democrat attempts to amend appropriations bills without which makes passing next year's budget that much more difficult.
