WASHINGTON — Facing defeat, House Republican leaders on Thursday abruptly called off a vote on a contentious budget-cutting bill in a striking display of the discord and political anxiety running through the party's ranks.
Despite making major concessions to moderate Republicans, the House leadership failed to win enough converts to the budget plan and surrendered in mid-afternoon. Leading Republicans said they would try again next week to find a bare majority for more than $50 billion in spending cuts and policy changes.
"The product we had for today wasn't quite where it needs to be yet," said Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, currently the No. 2 Republican, who said backers of the cuts remained a "handful" of votes short.
It was a stunning retreat for a Republican majority that has prided itself on iron discipline and an ability to consistently win even the most difficult floor votes. It was set against the Democratic election victories on Tuesday that have left Republicans worried about the 2006 midterm contests. It was also a setback for Blunt, who is filling in as majority leader for Rep. Tom DeLay and would be a candidate for the job permanently should DeLay's legal problems persist in Texas, where he is under criminal indictment.
For more than a month, House Republicans have been trying to bring a budget bill to a floor vote, but competing pressures between moderates and conservatives have prevented the leadership from being certain enough of the outcome to move forward.
And the fiscal fight is not limited to the House. Also on Thursday, Senate Republicans on the Finance Committee had hoped to approve a bill with $68 billion in tax cuts over the next five years. But they were forced to postpone a vote after failing to win over a crucial dissident, Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, despite two hours of closed-door talks.
In the House, Blunt and other top Republicans said a main impediment was the unity of Democrats who would not provide a single vote for the plan, forcing Republicans to rely on party support for a measure that makes moderates nervous because it contains politically charged cuts in food stamps and health care for the poor.
Democrats said the postponement reflected growing resistance within the Republican Party over its direction on spending and tax issues. Democrats have begun home-state political attacks over the budget cuts against Republicans deemed vulnerable candidates.