WASHINGTON (AP) — Pushed by rebellious conservatives, House Republican leaders are scrambling to find deeper cuts in the budget just hours after laying out a plan to save $35 billion by eliminating at least 60 federal programs and cutting back hundreds of others.
Republican officials say that one possibility is to add across-the-board cuts to supplement the targeted reductions spelled out earlier in the day at a closed-door meeting for rank-and-file House members.
Some conservatives have told the Republican leadership that they want deeper cuts to fulfill campaign pledges to reduce spending to levels in effect in 2008. Officials described the effort on condition of anonymity to discuss the private discussions.
