Radio America Online News Bureau

Earlier this week, House Republicans outlined their ambitious plan to reform Medicare and Medicaid and reduce spending by about six trillion dollars over the next ten years.  So how exactly would these plans work?  How would block granting Medicaid money to the states be better than what we have now?  How would the GOP inject competition and better service into health care options for seniors?  And can something this big ever get approved in a Congress that can’t agree on $61 billion in cuts?  We discuss it all with

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John Gizzi of Human Events offers updated predictions on whether there will be a government shutdown.  He also sizes up the long-term Republican fiscal plan unveiled this week by Rep. Paul Ryan.  Gizzi also reacts to former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine entering the open Senate race and likely facing former Sen. George Allen.

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Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review are happy to hear John Boehner say there is no daylight between him and the Tea Party in the budget showdown.  We also also groan as Obama makes it clear he’s far more interested in winning re-election than solving any problems.  And we consider how Donald Trump’s focus on the president’s eligibility will impact his possible White House run and how it provides cover for other GOP hopefuls.

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Georgia Rep. Tom Price, chairman of the House GOP POlicy Committee and a member of the House Budget and Ways and Means Committee, rips Democrats for trying to cause a government shutdown, for leaving our military out in the cold if a shutdown occurs and for blatantly deceiving the public about its version of spending cuts.  Price explains the differences between the party positions and predicts whether a shutdown will happen.

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Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns says he is not sure if there will be a government shutdown but he knows there is a bipartisan desire to prevent one.  What does he believe Congressional Democrats are ready to do?  What does he make of efforts to demonize the Republican position on spending cuts?

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On Monday, the Obama administration grudgingly allowed 9-11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-conspirators to be tried in a military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay rather than in civilian courts as the president first advocated.  Was Holder right to blame politics for the reversal in policy?  Was Congress right to assert its leverage in pushing for the tribunals?  And how exactly are tribunals different than a typical criminal trial in civilian courts?  We discuss it all with Kyndra Rotunda, former U.S. Army prosecutor at Guantanamo and author of “Honor Bound: Inside the Guantanamo Trials”.

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Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review are happy that pro-Walker forces are stronger than we thought in Wisconsin.  We’re also frustrated as Obama and other Democrats push for a shutdown while casting GOP as the villain.  And we enjoy that the NRSC parody of Obama’s 2012 campaign launch scored three times the traffic as Obama’s actual campaign launch video.

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Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns is lead sponsor of the effort to repeal an Obamacare provision that would have added a huge paperwork burden for small business owners.  Why would this have been so onerous?  How did 87 senators agree on this when it was such a polarizing issue last year?  What part of Obamacare might be next on the chopping block?  And how does reducing paperwork lead to more jobs?  We ask Sen. Johanns.

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Oklahoma Rep. James Lankford is a member of the House Budget Committee.  He reacts to the growing possibility of a government shutdown and responds to President Obama’s claims that Democrats want to cut just as much spending as House Republicans.

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A government shutdown looms Friday night unless Congress can agree on a bill to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year.  Will it happen?  What’s the real reason for the impasse?  Are Democrats really rooting for a shutdown?  And what should we make of Rep. Paul Ryan’s long-term fiscal reform plans.  We ask New Hampshire Rep. Frank Guinta, a member of the House Budget Committee.

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