House conservative: Effort to pass a budget is foundering

WASHINGTON – An influential conservative lawmaker says Republicans controlling the House are simply stuck and are unable to pass a party budget.

Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, who helped to establish the House Freedom Caucus, is reminding an audience of conservatives that Republicans have to pass an overall budget blueprint before they can try to overhaul the tax code, a GOP priority.

Jordan told a Heritage Foundation forum that “right now a budget cannot pass in the House of Representatives. It can’t.”

Under Washington’s convoluted budget process, Congress passes an overall budget plan that sets goals for follow-up spending.

Jordan said House Republicans are split into three camps on spending, including defence hawks, defenders of domestic programs, and conservatives such as himself who want to cut domestic agencies.