House and Senate leaders have reached a budget agreement to keep the federal government up and running for the remaining 2011 fiscal year.  House Speaker John Boehner is working to ensure that he has his Republican colleagues on board with the new spending plan that would cut almost $40 billion from enacted funding levels in fiscal 2010.  Conservative members had lobbied hard for an even larger cut, over $60 billion, and Speaker Boehner has expressed confidence that he can deliver the votes in the House necessary to pass the final spending bill.

According to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), the budget deal to be voted on this week is the best they could get.  Speaking on behalf of his Republican colleagues in the House, Cantor said, “all of us wanted $61 billion in cuts but we got the best deal we could under the circumstances.”