Posted on 03/25/2015 8:00:43 PM PDT by Citizen Zed
The House of Representatives approved a US budget Wednesday that shaves $5.5 trillion in spending over a decade, repeals the Obamacare health law and eliminates the federal deficit in nine years without raising taxes.
The Republican blueprint for fiscal year 2016 is seen as a compromise between the party's fiscal conservatives, who want to slash the debt by virtually any means possible, and defense hawks calling for increased military spending amid rising extremism and unrest worldwide.
The House debated several budget proposals Wednesday, including a few Democratic alternatives and one favored by deficit hawks, but they were voted down.
The main Republican budget, which prevailed 228 to 199 with all Democrats voting no, would bring the federal deficit from 2.8 percent of gross domestic product in 2014 to zero by 2024.
Aside from cutting health programs such as Medicaid and children's insurance programs, and abolishing Obamacare, the budget would trim $1.1 trillion from other "mandatory programs" such as food stamps and capping Pell Grants for college students.
The nearly $3.8 trillion budget for 2016 includes an extra $20 billion in military funding demanded by national security hawks, and with no offset requirements.
Hard-core fiscal conservatives are known to balk at cooperating with mainstream Republicans on major legislation.
But many remained on board with this budget, largely because passing one will allow the chambers to enter negotiations to bring the two versions into line.
Though Congress could send a repeal of the Affordable Care Act to President Barack Obama's desk, it would likely earn his veto.
The Senate is expected to pass its own version of the budget this week, before Congress goes on recess for two weeks.
The House version essentially transforms Medicare, the federally mandated health insurance program for the elderly, into a voucher-like system, something Obama and other Democrats have consistently opposed.
It would also overhaul the tax code -- a provision that the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, Chris Van Hollen, argued merely provides "more tax breaks to the folks at the very top end of the income scale."
But House Budget Committee chairman Tom Price, who shepherded the measure to the finish line, declared it "a budget that credibly addresses our fiscal and economic challenges."
Passing a budget resolution is crucial for Republicans, who pledged to ease Washington gridlock now that they control both chambers of Congress.
Obama unveiled his 2016 budget in February, a $4 trillion wish list that would blow through mandatory spending caps, raise taxes, and spend nearly $500 billion on improving infrastructure.
While Republicans slammed Obama's budget as one that would never balance, it could be seen as a first draft of the Democrats' election manifesto for the upcoming presidential campaign.
Obama unveiled his 2016 budget in February, a $4 trillion wish list that would blow through mandatory spending caps, raise taxes, and spend nearly $500 billion on improving infrastructure. <<
spend nearly $500 billion on $25 billion worth of projects...
Just like last time.
DK
That is a lie. The Republicans are comparing to an inflated budget . They are increasing spending over 500 billion like they always do. They are not worth spit.
This busts the sequester- just like last time: When it’s vetoed the RINOs and Dems will pass it without the savings from Obamacare repeal or entitlement savings.
Federal spending rose 8.4% last year BTW.
Somebody was saying that “repealing ObamaCare” was not really happening.
So .. is our Congress trying to pull a fast one on us .. or are they fudging the info so when Obama veto’s it, it doesn’t really do anything.
These games these people are playing is about to get to me; I’m too tired to mess with it anymore.
No such thing as a 10 year budget, this is all games
To begin with, note that the Supreme Court has clarified that Congress is prohibited from laying taxes in the name of state power issues, essentially any issue that Congress cannot reasonably justify under its Section8-limited powers.
Congress is not empowered to tax for those purposes which are within the exclusive province of the States. Justice John Marshall, Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824.
Given that the plurality of clauses in Congresss Section 8-limited powers deal with defense, and given that the Department of Defense budget for 2015 was $500+ billion, I will generously round up the annual price tag of the federal government to the taxpayers as $1 trillion (but probably much less).
In other words, the corrupt media, including Obama guard dog Fx News, shouldnt be reporting multi-trillion annual federal budgets without mentioning the Supreme Courts clarification of Congresss limited power to lay taxes in budget discussions.
The reason that we now have an unconstitutionally big, tax-hungry federal government on our backs is this imo. When the Founding States established the federal Senate, they gave control of the Senate uniquely to state lawmakers. Part of the reason for having state legislatures control the Senate was so that the Senate could kill House appropriations bills which could not be justified under Congresss Section 8-limited powers, such bills essentially stealing state revenues.
The problem is that the Progressive Movement spooked low-information citizens to pressure state lawmakers to ratify the ill-conceived 17th Amendment (17A). And state lawmakers caved in and ratified 17A, foolishly giving up the voices of the state legislatures in Congress.
So now, after voters elect their federal senators, they go home and watch football while corrupt senators rob voters wallets by working in cahoots with the corrupt House to pass unconstitutional appropriations bills.
Also, if it wasnt for the 17th Amendment, state lawmakers might have built up a 2/3 conservative majority in the Senate by now. This means that Congress could have possibly impeached and booted lawless Obama from the Oval Office by now.
The 17th Amendment needs to disappear.
Wait til the Senate carves it up. The House won’t recognize the bill anymore.
YA THINK??!!?
The American Bolsheviks hit upon this strategy decades ago, certainly by the time Reagan got scammed for years by them : when they "compromise," they get what they want immediately, and promise anything and everything in decades or several generations into the future.
It is the entire strategy into the "global warming scam," or whatever their label is this week. Hell, they project stuff into the next century, and laugh all the way into cushy retirements.
AND THE GOPe PRETEND THEY ARE COMPROMISING, GET HYSTERICAL AT BEING ACCUSED OF SHUTTING DOWN THE GOVERNMENT, WHEN THAT IS THE BEST CARD THEY HAVE!
Meanwhile the national debt is beyond the stratosphere, annual deficits are in the trillions annually, and the soprano-singing establishment Republicans from the leadership on down, are attacking the few "new turks" who actually have solutions to the relentless attack on the 'Old obsolete America' by the previously-mentioned American Bolsheviks.
Who do they think they (the GOPe) are scamming? Both the vicious enemy and the lifelong cowards (or blackmail bait) the GOPe hiding under their beds and praying for retirement to arrive before jail time for aiding and abetting Hussein and his private army posing as traditional Federal Government Departments.
“balanced budget...” what? is this a joke?
watch the kabuki over here fools, while we spend your great grandchildren into oblivion.
I agree totally. The government as planned got the Trojan Horse in 1913.
As Jonathan Gruber so eloquently reminded us recently, where it comes to this topic, the U.S. electorate was sold bill of goods enabling the runaway abuse we are enjoying today, by criminal professional politicians we re-elect over and over. Because our legislatures, for generations, is every bit as fiscally ignorant as the general populace, as Mr. Gruber also reminded us!
The problem was inevitable. The criminally bent will always be "attracted to government."
Why? Because that's where the money and the power are.
The only surprise is why it took so long to see what should have been obvious.
YES, THE 17TH AMENDMENT NEEDS TO DISAPPEAR, TO RESTORE ACCOUNTABILITY, MORALS, ETHICS, FISCAL SOLVENCY AND ITS VERY EXISTENCE TO THE GREAT AMERICAN EXPERIMENT.
Here’s a challenge to Boehner & McConnell - balanced budget THIS year and every year after that. If you are not up to the ob - a) step down and out and b) give the job to FReepers. It’s a job these American can and will do.
Give me five random FReepers, a week in a hotel and computers. Guaranteed, we come out with a balanced budget and no new taxes.
No bias there or examples.
Pray America is waking
Do you think they actually made cuts during the Sequester?
Military Waste and Fraud Continue In the Middle of the Government Shutdown HERE IS YOUR PROBLEM : PALM GREASING
Washingtons Blog
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/10/wasted-military.html
http://www.reuters.com/investigates/pentagon/#article/part1
Our Naval base is an INLAND paper pusher, record keeping operation, BUPERS. It currently is having a huge building built, a total remodel of the Exchange that only needed a new roof. During the Sequester we saw parking lots repaved, speed bumps installed in 5 MPH parking lots Commissary and Exchange, where they were NOT needed. Along with some useless monuments of excess anchors groupings.
A lot of south side of the base was ‘fixed’ after the May 1, 2010 flood. That caused millions of $$ in damage. YES the same flood that the Nashville Music C & W stars held benefits for the folks in Nashville for. We had 1 lone FEMA bus to take applications for the city residents.
Military personnel had their own system in place for those who were flooded out of Base Housing.
Arial view South Side Flood
http://www.ideamatics.com/uploads/2/8/9/3/28930935/8475199_orig.jpg
Try this for an idea. All percentages of the budget have been negotiated and prioritizes. Just cut everything 15% and live with it every year until we payback the national debt. Pretty simple really. Don’t pick things to cut-— cut all !!
That shows only about a 3+% increase.
Hmmm, pretty sure I had a good source for my number though. Will try to find it again.
It’s hard to trust any numbers the government publishes.
It's not a balanced budget. And won't be balanced for years and years under this proposal.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.