Posted on 03/07/2006 1:20:10 AM PST by RWR8189
WASHINGTON, March 6 — With Congress heading into a politically perilous budget season, influential House conservatives plan this week to propose an austere alternative spending plan that would pare more than $650 billion over five years, balance the budget and drastically shrink three cabinet agencies.
The legislation, part of a push by some Republicans to re-establish themselves as champions of fiscal restraint, was taking shape as President Bush struck a similar theme on Monday by asking Congress to grant him line-item veto power to eliminate federal spending that he might judge wasteful.
"We can't be all things to all people when it comes to spending the taxpayers' money," Mr. Bush said at a ceremony installing a new chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.
But House conservative leaders would go far beyond the president's own budget proposal, illustrating the difficulty the White House and the Republican leadership have had in persuading the caucus to speak with one voice on the matter.
Senior aides say the conservatives' plan would wring about $350 billion from Medicare, Medicaid and other social programs and save $300 billion partly through a major reorganization of the Education, Commerce and Energy Departments.
"We are putting our money where our mouth is," said one of the officials, who would discuss the proposal only without being identified because it was still being prepared for release Wednesday by leaders of the Republican Study Committee.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I for one am ready to fight the good fight. And am glad to see there's still a spine in our party. No backing down, it's time to cowboy up. Right On Pence!
This is the kind of thing we can campaign with. We will keep your taxes low, not only slow government down but shrink it, save future generations from higher taxes and debt, and not just cut our deficit but balance the budget without new taxes. It's going to be hard with our past track record but the democrats will only have there tried and failed tax and spend plans and the voters have seen through them time and time again.
It's Not To Late, Lets hope all republicans in congress rally behind this budget. If not we need to insist and insist till they beg us to leave them alone.
Good post, and good news.
If passed it would be the first bill bush vetos, maybe two if he vetos the Port deal bill.
Thanks for raining on my parade :(
Though sadly, your likely to be right. I hope not.
Austere? When the new budget for an agency does not have a baseline of last year's budget plus inflation, I'll start considering austere as a possible adjective.
Except this plan does none of that. Government continues to grow and the budget will not be balanced. And absent any specifics it's hard to look at this as anything other than a political stunt.
A cut of $650 billion over 5 years or $130 billion a year would equal a net cut in spending. Not to mention the downsizing of three agencies.
Anyways, it's the best thing I have seen come from someone in congress in years. It's better then the dribs and drabs and half measures they have been putting out.
1. Talk is cheap.
2. Influential house conservatives should have been doing this years ago, not months before an election.
3. $650 billion does NOT balance the budget over 5 years
4. While this is a good idea, if falls well short of what is necessary
The last time spending growth was held to those levels was under the Clinton administration. The current government adds almost as much off budget to spending than will be saved with these supposed cuts, and these cuts will not eliminate the deficit. It's great to say you'll cut the budget but the devil is in the details. I'll wait until I see them.
The RSC is always working behind the scenes to further conservative goals within the Republican caucus, not just when the NY Times decides to do a write-up.
I am for waiting until 'Atlas shrugs' with a return to feudalism, moats, drawbridges, chivalry the whole enchilada. GGG guns groceries gold.
BUMP
Oh my, everyone is negative this morning. If there is no way to please you, why would anyone even try?
[The legislation, part of a push by some Republicans to re-establish themselves as champions of fiscal restraint, was taking shape as President Bush struck a similar theme on Monday by asking Congress to grant him line-item veto power to eliminate federal spending that he might judge wasteful.]
Campaign bs for those who are facing re-election. Always been a conservative but now I realize that both parties are worthless liars and thieves. And pubs wonder why the ratings of Congress and the president are in the 30% range. The problem with them is they don't realize that the true conservative right is smarter than than the libs and neo cons and won't vote for liars and fools and liberal pubs or communist dems at the voting booths.
Cheap political trick in an election year. The Republican Party no longer stands for anything in this bill.
Go find out about Pence and the RSC.
Just because the media doesn't keep a journal of their everyday affairs doesn't mean they aren't working to advance conservative goals.
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