House Republicans will gather Friday in the Capitol to begin tackling a dispute over the fiscal 2017 budget between GOP lawmakers who want to reduce spending, and others in the party who want to stick to a deal they made with Democrats and President Obama that raises spending beyond mandatory caps.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said he is going to let his Republican conference decide on a budget number and whether to vote on an official budget at all this year.
"We are going to have a family conversation," Ryan said. "Our members are going to be given all the options and all the data and all the evidence and all of the choices in front of them. And we as a team, as the House Republican Conference, will make that decision."
Conservative Republicans say they can't support a 2015 bipartisan budget accord that raises spending by $30 billion in fiscal 2017. Total discretionary spending under the current plan would be set at $1.07 trillion.