Push Is On To Pass Budget Deal

NBC Political Director Chuck Todd predicts that the budget deal announced yesterday by Republican Paul Ryan and Democrat Patty Murray will pass when it comes up for a vote tomorrow, but with more Democrats than Republicans.

If lawmakers sign on, the deal avoids budget showdowns for the next two years because Ryan and Murray agreed to set a slightly higher limit on government spending and replace roughly half of the draconian automatic spending cuts known as "the sequester" with other budget changes, such as increasing security fees on airline tickets and forcing new federal employees to pay more into their pensions.

Democrats didn't get the tax increases they've pushed for in budget negotiations, and Republicans didn't get major cuts in social welfare programs like Medicare. In an interview with MSNBC, Republican Tom Coburn said he plans to vote against the deal because it doesn't address wasteful Washington spending.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen joins Here & Now's Meghna Chakrabarti to discuss the budget plan. The Maryland Democrat says he's concerned about the federal pension changes, "but it's better than no agreement at all."

Van Hollen also says it would be “unconscionable” for lawmakers to leave for the holidays without approving an extension of unemployment benefits for the longterm jobless, which expire at the end of the month. Republicans pushed to leave the extension out of the budget deal. Van Hollen says he's pushing for an amendment so the benefits don’t run out.