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Gov. Scott Walker and fellow Republicans who control the Legislature are clashing over key parts of his $76 billion state budget that runs from July 1 through the end of June 2019. Those areas include:

Roads: Walker wants to borrow half a billion dollars and delay major road projects instead of raising taxes to deal with a projected $1 billion shortfall. Republican lawmakers, together with Democrats, are urging Walker to consider raising the gas tax and vehicle fees. Walker, who is up for re-election next year, is threatening a veto, and Republicans in the Assembly and Senate disagree on whether theyd override.

UW: Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said questions over the relationship between private foundations and University of Wisconsin campuses have cast a dark cloud over budget negotiations, while Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has said an examination of that shouldnt affect debate over higher education funding. University leaders are hopeful lawmakers go along with Walkers call for about a $100 million increase.

Tuition cut: Walker wants to cut UW and technical college tuition by 5 percent for all in-state students in the second year of the budget after five years of holding it flat. Vos and others say the money would be better spent on aid targeting poor students.

Self-insurance: Walker projects that $60 million could be saved if the state insured 250,000 state workers, rather than contracting with HMOs. Lawmakers are questioning whether that much could be saved and balking at Walkers using those savings to help fund his increases for K-12 schools and the UW System.

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Key areas where Republicans disagree with Walker on budget - Madison.com

Neil Gorsuch is on the cusp of becoming the ninth U.S. Supreme Court justice.

Still, Gorsuch, who was tapped by President Trump in January to join the high court, could face a partisan tug-of-war this week in the Senate.

A day after the Senate Judiciary Committee, in a party-line vote, sent his nomination to the full Senate for a vote, Democrats were still considering a filibuster of the nominee.

What, perhaps, could that ignite? Well, its called the nuclear option a move in which Republicans, who have control of the Senate, change voting rules and confirm Gorsuch by a simple majority.

Conservative media and Trump have endorsed such an option.

Here are some headlines:

Defend the Constitution, Confirm Gorsuch (Weekly Standard)

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) has a decision: To filibuster or not to filibuster? It appears he is leaning toward the former -- a move that would infuriateRepublicans, who view Gorsuch, a 10th Circuit Court of Appeals judge, as a worthy successor to the late Antonin Scalia

This piece calls on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to go nuclear.

We trust that if Democrats choose to filibuster, Republicans will be smart enough and tough enough to confirm Gorsuch with a simple majority vote, writes the Weekly Standard. This is nonsense: Any Republican who would let 41 Democrats keep the Scalia seat empty would not be protecting the institution of the Senate.

Democrats think they can force Trump from office (Rush Limbaugh)

Is Trump the focus of a witch hunt?

Well, the president saysyes -- regularly castigating inquiries into, among other things, his ties to Russia as a tactical assault led by Democrats upset about the results of last years election.

Rush Limbaugh seems to agree.

They are losing elections. They know it. Look, this is all leading somewhere. I think a lot of the energy that the media and the Democrats are bringing to this is rooted in a belief that they can get rid of him, Limbaugh said on his radio show. I really think that thats something they think they can do. Because in their minds theyve done it before. They got rid of Nixon and they rendered Bush irrelevant.

I worked for Mike Pence. Being a woman never held me back(Washington Post)

So, apparently, Vice President Mike Pence does not dine alone with women who are not his wife. That was according to a profile of Pences wife, Karen, the Washington Post did last week.

Those on the left assailed the vice president for leaving his female employees at a disadvantage.

Not true, says Mary Vought, a Republican, who at one time served as Pences press secretary when he was in Congress.

My work product determined my success not private dinners with the congressman. When looking back on my time in the office of the man who is now vice president, I dont consider it to be a period of missed opportunities, she writes in this op-ed piece. The fact of the matter is, its not as though then-Congressman Pence was out having private dinners with male staffers and I was excluded. He wasnt having private dinners muchat all.

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Should Republicans use the 'nuclear option' in Gorsuch vote? Yes, say those on the right - Los Angeles Times

DAVID EGGERT, Associated Press Published 3:10 p.m. ET April 2, 2017 | Updated 3 hours ago

A House committee took up legislation Thursday to curb the cost of local government retiree health care.(Photo: Kathleen Gray/Detroit Free Press)

LANSING Republicans who control the Legislature are starting to put their stamp on Gov. Rick Snyder's budget blueprint, trimming his proposed spending increases to make room for a potential tax cut.

A House plan that began winning preliminary approval in recent days would spend between $200 million and $300 million less. The Senate is setting aside roughly $500 million in "uncommitted" funds a move the chamber's budget chief said is designed to provide flexibility to later reduce taxes, pay down debt, spend more or add to savings.

"No decisions have been made specifically on any of that, but that'll be the negotiations as we get closer to (finalizing) the budget," said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Hildenbrand, a Lowell Republican.

A biannual revenue-estimating meeting in May will shape how lawmakers proceed. But it is clear GOP leaders are not giving up on tax relief despite the defeat of an income tax cut in the House earlier this year. Snyder and a dozen House Republicans opposed the plan.

"We want to keep that on the table," said House Speaker Tom Leonard, who called it his top priority. "If that means we need to trim part of the budget to ensure that happens, I'm willing to do that."

He said Snyder proposed a $205 million boost in ongoing spending for the fiscal year that will start in October. Reducing the 4.25 percent income tax to 4.15 percent a less aggressive cut than lowering it to 3.9 percent as proposed in the failed House bill would cut revenue by $190 million in the first budget year, he said.

"I believe we can afford tax relief," Leonard said.

Democrats outnumbered in the Capitol are expressing concern with the GOP's approach.

Rep. Fred Durhal III of Detroit, the ranking Democrat on the House budget committee, said Snyder's proposal is "a pretty decent budget" and cutting it back "creates difficulty."

The House and Senate plans would largely spend the same amount as Snyder on K-12 education, though there are differences over per-student funding levels and issues such as paying for private school kids to take some classes at public schools.

Michigan's 15 public universities would see a smaller bump in state aid than under Snyder's plan, but not a cut as some higher education officials had feared. Funding for four schools the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Michigan State, Wayne State and Western Michigan would remain below levels from seven years ago, however.

Environmental cleanup spending would be cut, prompting Democratic Rep. Jon Hoadley of Kalamazoo to say he was "appalled" because it would underfund initiatives to keep toxic vapors out of homes and remediate polluted sites.

The House is proposing to add a quarter of the $20 million Snyder wants for a statewide infrastructure fund and to trim economic development spending. Unlike Snyder, it also plans a boost in statutory revenue sharing to local governments.

To Democrats' chagrin, House Republicans propose saving general funds by shifting $50 million from the $174 million Unemployment Insurance Contingent Fund. It has penalties and interest from employers who are delinquent paying into the jobless benefits system and from people who collect too much in benefits.

Michigan recently settled a lawsuit after at least 20,000 people receiving benefits were wrongly flagged for fraud by an automated computer system. The state is facing other suits that seek financial damages.

Durhal said the proposed transfer is "very concerning" because wrongly accused claimants should be paid back. Republicans say the state will meet its obligations, including if a judge later rules for the plaintiffs.

Upon their return from a two-week break, legislators will resume advancing the budget bills with the crucial mid-May look at tax revenue collections on the horizon.

The House blueprint includes Snyder's planned $266 million deposit into savings, which would bring the account to more than $1 billion. The Senate, where Republicans also have talked about a tax cut, for now is not committing to the deposit.

"I think the larger question this year is what we do with this uncommitted amount," Hildenbrand said. "It's a good position to be in, I would argue. But it won't be easy to get agreement because people are in different places when it comes to what to do with that uncommitted amount." ___ Snyder's budget proposal: http://bit.ly/2mWmPZX

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Republicans' initial budget blueprints make room for tax cut - Lansing State Journal

To put it bluntly, 38 percent is not the kind of number that scares a wayward congressman if the chief executive says "follow me or else" essentially

That lack of a powerful, popular leader only heightens the GOP's other problem: The deep differences running through it.

The GOP won in 241 districts in November (there are 237 now after cabinet appointments) and the party needs 216 votes to have a majority. That means they can afford to lose 21 votes. Now consider some of the differences in the House districts that the GOP won.

Trump's feud with his party last week centered on the Freedom Caucus, a group of 32 conservative House members that the president and

So even if Trump is popular in those places, the House members are likely more popular. That doesn't mean they'd be completely safe from Trump's promise to "fight," but it at least suggests they feel pretty comfortable standing up to the president.

In 23 House districts held by Republicans, Hillary Clinton was actually the winning presidential candidate. In another five districts, she lost to Trump by less than 2 points. The representatives in those 28 districts may find it very easy to go against the president they might even see opposing Trump as being in their best interest with the president whose approval rating is mired in the high 30s.

Related:

And at the other end of the spectrum, 42 of those House GOP districts gave Trump 66 percent or more of their vote that's 20 points better than Trump did nationally. Those places are likely going to be pro-Trump even as his numbers slip.

Or look at the House GOP split through the frame of policy. Cuts to

In 24 GOP-won House districts, 20 percent or more of the population gets insurance through Medicaid. But in another 27 House districts, less than 10 percent of the population gets insurance through the program.

It only stands to reason that voters in those districts might have very different ideas about the role the government should play in health care and, perhaps, the role of government aid in a broader sense.

Add it all up and you have a very complicated, diverse coalition without a strong force to hold them together.

Last week, in the wake of the GOP's failure to pass a bill repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, some party leaders said that Republicans needed to re-learn how to govern.

"We've been an opposition party for ten years," House Speaker Paul Ryan said in an interview. "We've got to become a proposition, governing party."

That may be true, but considering the fragmented nature of the party and the politically weak power at the top, it will not be easy.

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Analysis: Trump's Low Poll Numbers Limit Influence Over Unruly Republicans - NBCNews.com

Rep. IleanaRos-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) has voted against repealing eight Obama-era regulations, more than any other Republican in the House.

Ros-Lehtinen hails from a district that Hillary ClintonHillary Rodham ClintonGingrich: All 'real evidence' of Russian influence points to Dems Some Republicans defect on repealing Obama rules Don't look now: Hillary's back MORE won by nearly 20 points last year, and recently came out strongly against the GOPs plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

But she isnt alone in defecting on some of the regulatory votes.

Thirty-nine Republicans have crossed the aisle on at least one vote this year to overturn regulations under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), according to an analysis by The Hill.

Second to Ros-Lehtinen, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) and Chris Smith (N.J.) have each voted to protect five Obama-era regulations. Meanwhile, four Senate Republicans have also crossed party lines on at least one of the votes.

Many of the Republicans who have defected on the votes come from swing states or liberal-leaning states.

The obscure Congressional Review Act has empowered Republicans to scrap nearly a dozen regulations from late in Obamas term. The resolutions cannot be filibustered in the Senate, allowing the GOP to overcome Democratic opposition.

The spotlight turned to the regulatory resolutions on Thursdaywhen Vice President Pence was forced to cast the deciding vote on repealing an Obama regulation that banned states from defunding abortion providers.

Pence broke a 50-50 tie on the resolution after two Republicans Lisa MurkowskiLisa MurkowskiSome Republicans defect on repealing Obama rules Let's just scrap the filibuster and keep it simple Conservatives fear EPA chief going soft on climate science MORE (Alaska) and Susan CollinsSusan CollinsSome Republicans defect on repealing Obama rules Let's just scrap the filibuster and keep it simple Democrats debate Supreme Court gamble MORE (Maine) voted with Democrats. In the House, two Republicans voted against the resolution.

The lawmakers

The Hill counted at least 72 Republican votes against overturning Obama-era rules this year, with several Republicans voting multiple times to keep regulations in place.

The defections show that, despite the broad consensus in the GOP about the importance of scaling back federal regulations, there are some regulations that Republican lawmakers are willing to break with their party to support.

Similarly, a handful of Democrats have broken with their party to vote with Republicans to repeal various regulations from the Obama administration, according to a separate analysis by The Hill.

Among Republicans, Reps. David Reichert (Wash.) and Frank LoBiondo (N.J.) have each voted to keep four Obama rules.

Five other GOP lawmakers Reps. John Faso (N.Y.), Mark Sanford (S.C.), Pete King (N.Y.), Daniel Donovan (N.Y.), Walter Jones (N.C.) have voted to protect at least three regulations.

And four Republican members Reps. Carlos Curbelo (Fla.), Elise Stefanik (N.Y.), Patrick Meehan (Pa.), and Jaime Herrera BeutlerJaime Herrera BeutlerSome Republicans defect on repealing Obama rules Centrists balk at GOP ObamaCare bill The Hill's Whip List: 36 GOP no votes on ObamaCare repeal plan MORE (Wash.) each voted against two CRAs scrapping Obama rules.

In the Senate, Collins voted to keep two regulations, one aimed at protecting streams and another aimed at protecting funding for abortion providers.

Three other GOP senators Murkowski, Rob PortmanRob PortmanSome Republicans defect on repealing Obama rules McCaskill investigating opioid producers Overnight Finance: Senators spar over Wall Street at SEC pick's hearing | New CBO score for ObamaCare bill | Agency signs off on Trump DC hotel lease MORE (Ohio), and Bob CorkerBob CorkerSome Republicans defect on repealing Obama rules Trump signals deeper US involvement in Yemen Senate revives long-stalled ISIS war authorization debate MORE (Tenn.) have voted to protect one Obama-era regulation.

Twenty-one House Republicans have voted against one of the regulatory resolutions.

The resolutions

On four separate occasions, the number of Republicans voting to protect Obama-era regulations has reached double digits.

Fifteen House Republicans the most defections for any CRA so far voted against overturning an Internet privacy rule that had blocked telecom companies from selling the online search histories of customers without their consent. The repeal of that rule has sparked a backlash this week.

Eleven Republicans, meanwhile, crossed party lines to vote against repealing emissions limits on oil and gas companies operating on public lands. The House passed the CRA in February, but the Senate has yet to take it up, with several Senate Republicans reportedly opposed.

Other CRAs that have seen significant Republican defections include a rule to protect bears in Alaskas national wildlife refuges; a rule requiring companies to post records online of workplace injuries and illnesses; and a rule creating disclosure requirements for oil companies operating in foreign countries.

Congressional Republicans also repealed the Obama administrations so-called blacklisting rule, which forced federal contractors to report workplace safety violations and wage theft when applying to do business with the government.

Only one Republican voted against overturning that rule: Ros-Lehtinen.

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Some Republicans defect on repealing Obama rules - The Hill