Posted on 01/05/2011 10:31:21 AM PST by Qbert
House Republicans are backing away from their pledge to cut $100 billion from the federal budget.
GOP aides say Republicans will still look to make significant cuts to spending, but the whole idea of cutting $100 billion was based on the premise that President Obama’s full-year 2011 budget would be enacted.
They say the GOP will remain true to its pledge to try to return non-security discretionary spending to 2008 levels, but that their pledges to reduce the budget by $100 billion do not apply to the budget being developed for the second half of fiscal 2011, which ends Sept. 30.
Democrats never passed a budget resolution last year and were only able to pass a funding measure that lasts until March 4.
House Republicans promised to cut the budget by at least $100 billion in their “Pledge to America,” published in September. The pledge was intended to signal to voters what House Republicans would do if they won a majority in Congress.
A spokesman for the House Budget Committee said the GOP remains committed to the pledge, but that a different benchmark for making cuts will have to be used since Democrats did not approve a budget.
“Last year, House Republicans pledged to bring non-security discretionary spending back to 2008 levels. We estimated savings at that time relative to President Obama’s proposed fiscal blueprint due to the fact that Democrats in Congress offered no budget with which to compare. House Republicans remain committed to fulfilling their pledge; this has not changed,” House Budget Committee majority spokesman Conor Sweeney said.
“Unfortunately, Democrats refused to take action and oversaw an unprecedented breakdown in the budget process, with stopgap spending bills that provide a different benchmark than President Obama's initial fiscal plan. House Republicans will continue to work to reduce spending for the final six months of this fiscal year — bringing non-security discretionary spending back to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels — yielding taxpayers significant savings and starting a new era of cost-cutting in Washington,” he added.
Incoming House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told NBC's “Today" show Wednesday that he was not ready to release the exact spending cuts for 2011, which he will have the power to set himself.
“I can't tell you by what amount ... but it will all be coming down,” he said.
Democrats seized on the $100 billion figure as an example of the GOP backing off its campaign manifesto.
“It’s now clear that the House Republicans’ pledges aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on as they start breaking them before even being sworn in,” said Jesse Ferguson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
The GOP “Pledge to America” vows to “cut government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels saving at least $100 billion in the first year alone.”
The left-leaning Center for Budget and Policy Priorities estimated that fulfilling the pledge would result in an unprecedented 21 percent cut in spending in one year.
They backed off on fixing Fannie/Freddie’s $6.3 Trillion dollar problem that was kept out of the budget too. Looks like the Collapse is on.
GOP Shifts on Fannie, Freddie Overhaul
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204467204576048062199771064.html
Obama’s $6.3 Trillion Scam Is America’s Shame
Year-End Debt-Stravaganza
http://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=176364
ROTFLMAO. I am sorry but this is rich. Not even in charge for 5 hours and screwing it up. This is why America is doomed to improve because even when we do well with real live conservatives they get to Washington DC, are invited to parties for weeks prior to swear-in date and immediately can’t disappoint the Democrats and RINOs because they are now considered friends. It is a ruthless cycle.
Simple.
Since they will create a budget for only the second-half of 2011, cut spending by $50B.
Gee, that was quick. I expected them to hold out at least a week.
Republican senate leader Mitch McConnel in his great tax deal with Obama and his democrat socialist friends raised spending between 150-200 million dollars in 2011.
People need to understand that it is them that don’t get it, republicans in office are also socialists.
Do that and bring home the troops and end nation building and we can easily save several hundred billion in a single yar.
Just do it! Take the pain now and fix the country.
Do that and bring home the troops and end nation building and we can easily save several hundred billion in a single year.
Actually they started backing down well before they were office, like last week at least.
Sounds like the only good politicians, are the ones that don’t get elected...
I’m not surprised.
What Budget?
There isn’t a budget...
Nothing has been discussed nor passed.
This is more smoke & mirrors.
The first budget year {2012} begins 10-1-2011, the budget year we are currently in will be half over by the time a budget is passed in March of 2011.
I smell total BS.
What is interesting here is that "THE HILL" seems to have no Republican insiders ~ Hmmm!!!!
The rest of the year will be a total surprise to them.
The people in control are all socialists, mostly we are wasting our time trying to stop this train at the ballot box. Just look at the number of crooked senate elections in the past two elections.
We have seen our last free election, they don’t have to cheat in all the elections, only a few to win.
I do not think the next two years will see any reduction in spending or our debt, ZERO.
Yep.
We have a spending crisis- and as they say, one should never let a good crisis go to waste...
Same party, different day. It’s going to take much more than one election to fix this.
“The rest of the year will be a total surprise to them.”
I do hope you’re right. But I’m only going to believe it when I see it. (Not even “Trust, but Verify”)
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.