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Congress: Will GOP budge on the budget?

Charlie Cook: “It's difficult to understand why any Republicans on Capitol Hill would like their odds in any kind of budget showdown this fall that could result in a government shutdown. Very simply, they would be going into a game with an incredibly weak hand, and their odds of winning would be quite small.” More: “While Obama's numbers are hardly impressive, they are still much better than those for congressional Democrats, and they aren't even in the same time zone as the bleak numbers for Republicans in Congress. This being the case, who goes into this fight with the least credibility? The answer is Republicans in Congress. … It's a time for Republicans to be realistic and for both sides to be adults—and allow a reasonable deal to be reached.”

Chris Frates goes to West Virginia and finds Sen. Joe Manchin defending his gun proposal.

National Journal: “Republican Rep. Tom Reed isn't great at paying his taxes. Over the weekend, a story from The Buffalo News reported that the New York lawmaker has been late 38 times paying his property taxes since 2005. Having paid $3,486.51 in late fees, Reed is now on the right side of the law, but as a member of the committee that actually writes tax law it's more than embarrassing. At least he has plenty of company. For it turns out that several members of Congress aren't so into writing that check to the government. Below are just a few examples.”

It then lists five members of Congress – John Runyan (R-NJ), Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH), Jim Renacci (R-OH), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), and Steve Southerland (R-FL).