Tea party groups and
fiscal conservatives wasted no time Wednesday in savaging a bipartisan budget
agreement negotiated between House Republicans and Senate Democrats,
drawing an unusually angry response from House Speaker John A.
Boehner, Ohio Republican.
All sides were rating the
winners and losers in the deal struck a day earlier between House
Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, Wisconsin
Republican, and Senate
Budget Committee ChairwomanPatty Murray,
Washington Democrat. The modest deficit-cutting deal had some sweeteners for
defense contractors and oil drillers, while air travelers, federal workers and
some corporate executives would take a hit.
But most of the
passion focused on the politics of the deal, with Mr.
Ryan, Mr.
Boehner and the House GOP leadership
defending their handiwork from attacks from conservative colleagues on Capitol
Hill and from outside groups such as the Club
for Growth, Heritage Action and Americans for Prosperity. Critics said
the agreement effectively raised taxes in the form of higher fees, failed to
restrain entitlement programs and permitted new spending in the short term in
exchange for vague promises of long-term cuts.
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