Reid Says No Grand Bargain

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said that he expected little more from the formal House-Senate budget conference than some relief from automatic spending cuts under sequestration, Roll Call reports.

He added that the suggestion of a “grand bargain” including an overhaul of entitlement programs was nothing more than “happy talk.”

Said Reid: “I hope that we can do some stuff to get rid of sequestration and go on to do some sensible budgets — budgeteering. I’ve got a wonderful leader of my Budget Committee, Patty Murray from the state of Washington, and I feel pretty comfortable that she’ll do a good job for us, but … I hope there would be a grand bargain, but I don’t see that happening.”