Senate Republicans emerged from a policy meeting Tuesday deeply divided over what they should offer to replace or mitigate across-the-board spending cuts scheduled to hit Friday, probably postponing a showdown in the Senate on the parties’ two approaches.
Republican leaders had hoped their 45 members would unite around legislation that would give the Obama administration flexibility in implementing the cuts, allowing department and agency heads to spare the most critical federal programs. That would have set up votes Wednesday on a Republican and a Democratic approach to the budget cuts ahead of the March 1 deadline.
Instead, some Republicans protested that such flexibility would give President Obama far too much power. Others said they still wanted the party to at least try to stop the cuts, known as the sequester.
“I would be happy to give the president more flexibility and rely on agency heads to apportion this amount of spending reduction in a different way than the sequester envisioned,†said Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader. “There are some members of our conference who are suspicious the administration â€" taking advantage of such flexibility â€" would seek to punish their political enemies.â€
Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, said proponents of the flexibility legislation added a provision that would allow Congress to disapprove of the shifts if they were particula! rly suspect. But, he said, for senators most worried about the magnitude of cuts â€" especially to defense â€" changing the way they are apportioned is pointless.
“I don’t care how flexible you want to be,†he said. “The top line numbers don’t add up to me on defense.â€
The strife was striking because Senate Republicans have been able to remain remarkably united in the minority. Senator Bob Corker, Republican of Tennessee and an advocate of the flexibility legislation, said heated back-room discussions were all the more strange because whatever Republicans put forward would have little chance for winning the 60 votes that will be necessary for passage.
“I’ve never seen so much passion around something that’s not going to happen in my life,†he quipped.
It came on the same day House Speaker John A. Boehner said he would do nothing to mitigate thecuts “before the Senate gets off their ass and begins to do something.â€
Stuck, Mr. McConnell suggested multiple votes later this week on a variety of Republican approaches to the pending cuts. But Democrats are largely united around one $110 billion package that would replace this year’s cuts with tax increases on income over $1 million, cuts to farm subsidies, and cuts to defense in 2014. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, flatly rejected Mr. McConnell’s request.
“The agreement was we will have a bill, they will have a bill,†he said.
Follow Jonathan Weisman on Twitter at @jonathanweisman.
