Posted on 12/10/2013 7:41:06 PM PST by SeekAndFind
The basics:
—Brokered by Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Patty Murray, it’s an attempt to get back to some kind of normal order budget process
—Two-year deal, would avert government shut-down Jan. 15 but not deal with debt limit
—Spares $63 billion in sequestration cuts scheduled for January
—Allows overall projected spending to go up from $967 billion to a little over $1 trillion
—$23 billion in net deficit reduction
The “sequestration relief,” which America is not clamoring for is brought to you by raising “fees,” which is pretty much just another word for taxes:
But higher fees would generate as much as $65 billion to replace the unpopular cuts in military and domestic spending mandated under the budget-trimming sequester. Those cuts are set to take effect in mid-January.
Details of the fee hikes remain under wraps, but lawmakers have considered increasing fees on airline tickets and new mortgages, raising insurance premiums for pension funds and requiring federal civilian employees to contribute more toward their retirement.
Pension trimming is spooking liberals:
A new budget deal that will be debated by the U.S. Congress in the coming days would trim some military spending as well as outlays for federal workers’ retirement programs, Senate Budget Committee chief Patty Murray said on Tuesday.
The deal would cut $12 billion from the two accounts, the Democratic senator said.
“This bill reduces the deficit by $23 billion, it does not raise taxes, and it cuts spending in a smarter way,” Ryan said at Tuesday night press conference. “I see this agreement as a step in the right direction.”
“I’m proud of this agreement,” Ryan added. “It reduces the deficit—without raising taxes. And it cuts spending in a smarter way. It’s a firm step in the right direction, and I ask all my colleagues in the House to support it.”
Murray:
“This agreement breaks through the recent dysfunction to prevent another government shutdown and roll back sequestration’s cuts to defense and domestic investments in a balanced way,” said Murray. “It’s a good step in the right direction that can hopefully rebuild some trust and serve as a foundation for continued bipartisan work.”
They’re both hailing it as a starting point. Conservatives are wary of fee hikes and erasing sequestration. Democrats are wary of any bill that requires anyone to pitch in more for their pensions and doesn’t include an extension of unemployment benefits (right now, this does not).
“This agreement doesn’t include everything I’d like – and I know many Republicans feel the same way. That’s the nature of compromise,” Obama said. “But it’s a good sign that Democrats and Republicans in Congress were able to come together and break the cycle of short-sighted, crisis-driven decision-making to get this done.”
Party leaders on both sides of the Capitol, including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) also issued statements backing the deal.
“Heritage Action cannot support a budget deal that would increase spending in the near-term for promises of woefully inadequate long-term reductions,” the organization said in a statement.
“While imperfect, the sequester has proven to be an effective tool in forcing Congress to reduce discretionary spending, and a gimmicky, spend-now-cut-later deal will take our nation in the wrong direction.”
Americans for Prosperity, which supports cutting taxes and government spending, called on congressional Republicans to “stand firm” in upholding a second round of across-the-board automatic spending cuts, which are scheduled to start in January.
“Otherwise, congressional Republicans are joining liberal Democrats in breaking their word to the American people to finally begin reining in government over-spending that has left us over $17 trillion in debt,” said AFP President Tim Phillips.
I’m with those House conservatives who wonder why we’re doing away with sequestration, which while not an ideal way to make cuts, is already law, and actually cut spending in a way none of these deals ever do. We’re in the minority, but that was already on the books. It didn’t need to be negotiated.
Exit quotation: “It’s hard to see how conservatives support it,” he said. “The question is, how angry will they get?”
They work good together.
Of all of the uncountable republican disappointments, Paul Ryan is in competition for the #1 spot.
Anyone who would partner with the idiot of the senate, Patty Murray, must have a brain ridden with syphilis. Or something.
FUPR
—$85 billion of total savings
—$23 billion in net deficit reduction
Lies, lies and more lies. We have trillions in debt and growing by trillions and these idiots come up with this kind of crap. If you can’t cut and cut deep, get the hell out!!
Deal with the commies? Not only no, but hell no!! The so-called Republican House holds the purse strings. Draw them up taut!!
Sorry, but I love sequestration, as the only real cuts to budget so far.. To give it away is to defeat our goals.. I understand this round cuts Defense greater than I would like, there is always too many perks for weapons programs that seem to be overboard..
I say block it and take the cuts, and save the fights for the Debt battle..
I think the new willingness to get along in the budget process is the result of China, not either party or the president. They apparently threatened us with war if we defaulted during the shutdown. If that is true, then democrats don’t have as much room to increase spending as they would like, and they will both end up with newfound seriousness trying to get the budget under control.
Ryan to Biden was like Kemp to Gore.
Therefore Ryan=Kemp, in fact he once worked for Kemp!
Screw this. And I LOVE sequestration...it’s the only thing that has worked! Ryan kept telling Mark Levin that this avoids ‘painful’ cuts to the military. So what? The DOD is as bloated as hell. Cut it all — and spend smarter to make up the difference.
So assuming that all of the accounting is legit. We should pay off the debt by about the middle of the year 2752.
Right! Let’s begin with a minimum 500 Billion, just to get started, and perhaps even one trillion, in the next YEAR! Not this 10-year smoke up my a$$ crap that is so prevalent these days. These two are laffable in dealing with chump change.
After watching Cuccinelli take it on the chin in the aftermath of the government shut down, I wonder whether they’re doing this in the name of keeping Virginia purple through the 2016 election, somebody on Hannity’s program yesterday opined that Hillary would have 247 electoral votes already coming out of the Dem convention, and Republicans needed to run the slate of states that Romney missed on, and Virginia is one. The “big thinkers” still aren’t focused on turnout as the key to winning elections. The Republican base is bigger than the Democrat base, no matter what they say. but they generally have to be self-motivated to turn out, nobody is going to show up to drive them to the early voting site, then show up the next week to drive them to a different site the way Obama’s people do.
Deal with the commies? Not only no, but hell no!! The so-called Republican House holds the purse strings. Draw them up taut!!
Bears repeating.
You go to Mark Levin's website for his interview with Ryan today. I sounded like Ryan got beat at every turn of the deal by the less than average intelligent Patty Murray.
Mark Levin interviews Paul Ryan on the new budget agreement
http://therightscoop.com/mark-levin-interviews-paul-ryan-on-the-new-budget-agreement/
>> Cut it all
Yep. Butcher block time for the federal pig.
ALL of it.
ALL OF IT.
Budgets are voted on annually. Promises of long-term reductions are BS.
The sequester was one of the only conservative victories.
I figured it wouldn’t be long before someone sold it out
If spending goes UP by $40 billion+, how can there be $85 billion in SAVINGS?
Spending needs to be cut by $1.2 trillion (with a T) immediately, and by $2 trillion by next year.
Anything else is just irresponsible BS.
Ryan’s bought into the leftist/RINO crap that we can’t cut government.
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