GOP Freshman Sent to Budget Boot Camp

Call it Fiscal Policy 101: House Republican leaders are sending their freshmen to budget boot camp, teaching their 87 new members the basics of government accounting so they can knowledgeably pitch the party’s proposals back home in their districts. With a major partisan battle coming up—major entitlement reform is on the table, and popular programs will likely face cuts—Republicans can’t afford to suffer the setback of having their package rejected by the public. Meanwhile, Democrats are drawing a line in the sand: Assistant Senate leader Dick Durbin said Sunday that he wouldn’t accept any cuts over $10.5 billion.