House conservatives are refusing this week to vote for a controversial but crucial farm bill unless leadership pledges to put forward a hard-line immigration bill. A vote for the $15 billion in spending cuts could be helpful for House Republicans facing upcoming primary challenges from the right in states including Alabama, California, Florida and New York. But other Republicans are balking, raising questions about whether the House will be able to pass the administration’s spending-cut request. The package was presented to Congress last week in a gesture aimed at exhibiting fiscal restraint after conservative backlash over the $1.3 trillion government spending bill that President Trump signed grudgingly in March. The optics are magnified and exaggerated on the Democratic side saying this is some big cut to social programs.

Source: Washington Post May 16, 2018 17:57 UTC