Senate Republicans Enter Budget Arena

During congressional budget negotiations last week, Republican senators were ignored, as focus centered on House Republicans and Senate Democrats. But now that attention is shifting to the fiscal 2012 budget, Republicans are starting to play a bigger role, The Hill reports.

Freshman Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., plans to release a budget that offers even more spending cuts than the one proposed by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan. Toomey’s version would balance the budget within 10 years. Some conservative economists say Ryan’s plan wouldn’t eliminate the deficit for 26 years. Toomey’s proposal is expected to draw substantial support from fellow Republicans in the Senate.

It provides Senate conservatives with an alternative to the compromise plan expected from the bipartisan Gang of Six, a Republican aide tells The Hill.