Over the last two weeks the Republican leadership has been struggling to unify a divided GOP on the fiscal 2007 budget and tax reconciliation. ECAP has been keeping the pressure up on moderate Republicans to refuse to cave to leadership and stand up for the priorities of American families. Yesterday, Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) finally cried uncle. Failing at what the press has described as his first real leadership test, Boehner was forced to pull the Republican leadership's immoral budget from the House floor because he didn't have the votes.  Without one Democratic vote and disintegrating support from Republican moderates, Boehner abandoned his promise to bring the Budget Resolution to the floor for a vote before members return home for a two week recess. "It will be done before we leave this week" said Boehner. [Roll Call, 4/5/06]

As the Members of Congress return to their home districts, ECAP members will be there to greet them.

"For the next two weeks, every moderate Republican target will see us at their offices, at their town halls and our message will again be heard loud and clear, 'No tax giveaways to millionaires to cut vital services like education, healthcare and child care.'  We will continue to hold these moderates accountable because we know that they are the key to defeating a budget resolution once and for all that includes substantial cuts in domestic spending while also providing more tax cuts that would swell the deficit and threaten essential public programs," said ECAP spokesperson Cara Morris Stern. ECAP is working with AFSCME and USAction affiliates to do petition drives over the recess, gathering signatures and photos from citizens in key districts opposing the immoral GOP budget.

"Our goal has been to defeat any budget that cuts vital services like education and health care to give tax handouts to the super rich.  Congressman Boehner said 'If we don’t do it this week, why do it?' and if he is true to his word, it seems we have accomplished our goal," said Stern. [Roll Call, 4/5/06]

When President Bush decided to travel to CT to tout his latest health care scheme this week, ECAP joined with CT Citizen Action Group, AFSCME, and CT Alliance for Retired Americans to expose the Administration's health care failures. The groups and other allies held a press conference to serve as a pre-buttal to the Bush visit, debunking his rhetoric and detailing how another tax shelter for the wealthy would fail to address the health care priorities of American families.

"We are calling for the president to apologize to Connecticut for his failure on health care," said Phil Sherwood, legislative director of the Connecticut Citizens Action Group. [Connecticut Post, 4/4/06]

The groups organized a rally that coincided with the President's remarks in Bridgeport. Over 200 protesters turned out to protest the President's misplaced priorities.

Meanwhile, several lawsuits have been filed disputing the constitutionality of the budget reconciliation bill signed by President Bush last month. The two Houses of Congress passed versions of this bill that were substantively different – an error affecting billions of dollars in spending that GOP leaders previously blamed on a clerk. Consumer watchdog group Public Citizen and others are challenging the validity of the contested Deficit Reduction Act. ECAP has admonished President Bush and GOP leaders for their power grab attempt to subvert the Constitution. Last week, the Washington Post joined ECAP in protesting the sham law:

It's grade school stuff: To become law, a bill must pass both houses of Congress in identical form and be signed by the president or approved over his veto. A bill passed by only one house -- or passed by both houses in different forms -- is not a law. Unless, that is, the bill is the Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2005, and complying with the Constitution would be really, really inconvenient to President Bush and Republican congressional leaders.

...

The bill, as a lawsuit filed by Public Citizen last week alleges, is not a valid law under the Constitution. [Washington Post, 4/1/06]

ECAP has helped squash the conventional wisdom that a Republican controlled House can jam through their agenda without fail.  At each turn we have given them a tough fight.  When they took the Budget Reconciliation vote in February they were scared, now they're on the run.  ECAP will make this a very long two weeks for moderate Republicans and their leadership.