IMF at Center of Budget Debate

Who’d have guessed it but there’s the International Monetary Fund in the middle of the omnibus bill talks — a potential bargaining chip for House Republicans but also a symbol of divisions in the party given the right’s suspicion of such international organizations.

Republican Treasury secretaries going back to Ronald Reagan have signed onto a letter supporting the funding request. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) touts the IMF for its role in promoting economic reforms in the Mideast. But conservatives on the House Financial Services Committee remain skeptical. And Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) is non-committal after an appeal from Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.

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