House Passes Ryan Budget Plan, Including Medicare Reform 228-191.

The AP  (3/29, Fram) reports "a divided House" voted 228-191  Thursday to approve a "$3.6 trillion Republican budget...recasting Medicare and imposing sweeping cuts in domestic programs, capping a battle that gave both political parties a campaign-season stage to spotlight their warring deficit-cutting priorities." The AP says the "partisan divisions over the measure, which is dead on arrival in the Democratic-led Senate, also underscores how tough it will be for lawmakers to achieve the co-operation needed to contend with a tsunami of tax and spending decisions that will engulf Congress right after this fall's elections."

        USA Today  (3/30, Davis) notes the "strict party-line vote" for a plan to "restructure Medicare for future beneficiaries to allow those 55 and younger to opt out of the system and purchase private insurance with a federal subsidy. On other health care policies, the Ryan budget would fully repeal the president's health care law and turn Medicaid into a block grant program with more state control of how the funds are spent."

        Also covering the story are the New York Times  (3/30, Weisman, Subscription Publication), the Washington Post  (3/30, Helderman, Kane), the Los Angeles Times  (3/30, Mascaro), the Washington Times  (3/30, Dinan), Roll Call  (3/30, Newhauser, Subscription Publication), and The Hill  (3/30, Joseph).