After House Republican leadership avoided the derailment of the FY 2006 budget resolution by a small group of House conservatives over a standoff about budget process rules, the movement to change those rules in Congress has picked up steam once again. This time, however, the group of conservative House Republicans has enlisted the help of a powerful ally: Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX). The Hill newspaper reported last week that DeLay has been working behind the scenes with conservative Republicans seeking radical changes to the budget rules and leading members of the key committees in the hopes of implementing changes that would support DeLay's goals of defunding the federal government. This comes as a surprise since only a few months ago DeLay opposed an effort by a group of conservatives to make these same changes in the budget process. Some aides on Capitol Hill believe DeLay's move to ally with House conservatives is a reaction to the embattled leader's recent trouble with charges about ethical violations as well as harsh attacks from liberal activist groups. Conservatives in the House have been some of DeLay's strongest supporters and make up his power base in the GOP caucus in the House. DeLay claims he has always supported budget process reform - just not the piecemeal approach used by the Chair of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), Mike Pence (R-IN), and other conservatives during the beginning of the 109th Congress. Pence and other House Republicans pushed for individual budget rule changes during the Republican conference meeting after the 2004 elections as well as in amendments to the 109th Congress's rule package, both which DeLay opposed. Specific proposals being discussed this year include annual spending caps and giving the budget resolution the force of law. These proposals were voted down on the House floor last year - some garnering less than 100 votes. But many House conservatives are optimistic that the support of someone like DeLay is all that is needed to gather the necessary votes to win approval on the floor. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL), chairman of the Tuesday Group, a caucus of about 40 Republican centrists, is much more confident about passing changes to the rules. Quoted in The Hill, Kirk stated, "This time I've got Tom DeLay." "He goes from someone not supportive of the rules package to someone who can make it happen." The budget-reform "working group" created by DeLay includes himself, Pence, Kirk, Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier (R-CA), Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle (R-IA), Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA) and Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), who handles budget reform for the RSC. The group, except for Thomas, met for the first time during the week before the Memorial Day recess. Pence said the ultimate purpose of the changes is to make it easier to pass tax cuts and more difficult to pass spending increases or create new programs. The working group will most likely consider some if not all of the following changes:

• Eliminating budgeting gimmicks often used by the White House.
• Moving up the date the president submits his budget to Congress.
• Postponing the start of the fiscal year.
• Reforming the reconciliation process.
• Creating sunsets (or time limits) for mandatory spending programs.
• Eliminating spending programs that have exceeded their authorization.
• Rewriting the Byrd rule, which limits changes in policy on appropriations bills.

These proposals will essentially make it much easier to cut spending and reduce federal investments in communities across the country and much more difficult for Congress to respond to future unknown needs. There may still be one stumbling block in the process DeLay has set in motion. There appears to be resistance to these changes from members of the appropriations committee, including Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-CA) who attended one meeting of the working group, "just to listen," he said. Historically, appropriators have clashed with House conservatives about spending levels and budget rules. There is no timetable set for future meetings at this point and despite DeLay's support and efforts, it is still unclear if any changes will be implemented this year.