Robin Hood in Reverse

Republicans in the House narrowly passed a budget bill yesterday that will pay for part of a $70 billion tax cut for the wealthy on the backs of working Americans. The bill will cut about $50 billion from programs including college loans, food stamps, Medicaid, and child support enforcement.

Faced with united Democratic opposition, House leadership has been struggling to build support for the bill for weeks. The vote was initially scheduled for November 10th, but was pulled when it didn't look like they had the votes to pass it.

To win over some moderate Republicans, Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert dropped a provision that would allow drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. Other Republicans, though, including Joe Barton, the Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, threatened to vote against a bill that didn't include drilling.

Republicans say the bill is a step towards reducing the federal deficit, which has skyrocketed under the leadership of the Bush Administration and Republicans in Congress. But concern about the deficit has not stopped the GOP from pushing a tax cut bill that targets wealthy Americans. That bill, which cuts capital gains and dividend taxes, will cost about $70 billion, leading to an overall $20 billion increase in the deficit.

The budget bill will now go to conference committee to reconcile it with the Senate version, which makes more modest cuts but includes drilling in ANWR. House Republicans will undoubtedly seek to have ANWR reinserted in the final bill, but it's not clear if they would be able to pass it.