Posted on 07/26/2011 4:39:45 PM PDT by kristinn
The Congressional Budget Office delivered the bad news to Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Tuesday evening that his deficit reduction proposal cuts just $1 billion from the deficit next year, sending staffers scrambling to rewrite the legislation.
Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said House Republicans are reworking the bill to make sure spending cuts exceed any increase in the debt limit.
“We’re here to change Washington: no more smoke and mirrors, no more ‘phantom cuts,’” Steel said. “We promised that we will cut spending more than we increase the debt limit, with no tax hikes, and we will keep that promise.
“As we speak, Congressional staff are looking at options to rewrite the legislation to meet our pledge. This is what can happen when you have an actual plan and submit it for independent review, which the Democrats who run Washington have refused to do.”
The CBO score appeared to add to Boehner’s troubles as he struggles to corral the House Republican Conference to back his bill on the floor Wednesday.
(Excerpt) Read more at rollcall.com ...
Which is why, despite what they say, the political animals on our team (which is most of them considering they learned the art well enough to get themselves elected) are looking for a way out.
Unfortunately, while the political class is wrong or willing to surrender on policy, they may be right on the politics. And it takes more than being right to get anything done. Many believe this is nothing more than a trap Hussein has set and they could very well be right.
The choice here is to stand firm on principle and further the process of re-branding ourselves as a party that actually stands for something almost revolutionary - and accept the PR lumps that will probably go along with it, or kick the can down the road, get whatever deal we can, be satisfied with limited success and hopefully be stronger still the next time around. As difficult as it is, I suspect the former is the better course of action. However if the public turns too far against us, the pressure to relent will become overwhelming and we may get less than Boehner is even pushing now.
If all the unemployment checks stop, if half the federal employees are laid off, and you know THEY won’t be able to find a job, how are all these people supposed to live?
Truthfully, there is no solution to the mess we’ve allowed the politicians to get us into. We started down hill when we made them celebrities starting with JFK.
How do you think CWII will start? And will it be organized or chaos?
I agree with your sentiment. Boehner is doing a credible job in a very difficult situation.
I am guessing he is tired of so many cans ending up in his front yard.
I'm just going to keep right on reminding people that "CCB" would have raised the debt ceiling by $2.4 TRILLION dollars.
I think you’re right. Get what we can, blame the dems for holding SS hostage, and ask for help winning the Senate and White House - and keeping the House.
If services like veteran benefits and social security see any cuts they will do more than whine. They will absolutely demand those services restored and do so by huge majorities. If that happens the Republicans will have public opinion so stacked against them that even some of the best conservatives will cave. This is the bind we are in. The sad fact is what passes for the American public right now does not actually want large cuts to entitlements, transfer payments or social programs. We can try to do the right thing an defy that public opinion, but there will be a massive price to pay. It is probably worth it to rebuild our brand, but it could guarantee Hussein's re-election.
The goal should be: cut spending 20% to 30% in 2012 and 2013 and fix all discretionary spending budgets at their 2011 levels. And forget the phantom savings from the out years. That is just a gimmick.
wow. Our leaders are simply pathetic
“This is because no one really wants to cut anything noticeable.”
Including people on this site (i.e., www.FreeRepublic.com)....where half of the oldies are DEMANDING their Social Security money, even if it drives the country bankrupt (which, of course, it will).
We all like to talk big about cutting the budget, as long as it’s not our gravy train. When people here start to understand the fact that THEY (collectively) elected people to IMMEDIATELY spend the money they paid into Social Security, then I will start believing all the hyperventilation here.
The Republicans in Congress are stuck, as their voters are DEMANDING that the country go broke by not increasing taxes and not touching entitlements. And yes, half of the old people understand this...but the other half lines right up with Bernie Sanders on entitlements...and, of course, so do all of the Democrats.
Given those numbers...what exactly are the Republicans in Congress expected to do...print money out of thin air? Yep, and that is exactly the only choice we’re giving them.
Something is happening and I think it is getting past everyone.
What is this bill actually supposed to do? If it is meant to be used as a vehicle for an increase in the debt ceiling, then whatever cut is made needs to be made by the amount of the rise in the ceiling. NOW! Not 10 years from now.
That’s how we got into this mess in the first place.
What is this 6 billion dollar number? And if we are cutting by however much, what is actually being cut? No mention of that either.
Smoke and mirrors? No. They are outright lying to us and they aren’t even ashamed t do it. If the freshmen congress wants to do something to shake all of this up, now is the time to introduce term limits.
Use this case as an example as to why we can no longer trust congress.
Probably just the one...but I think she has been banned or suspended.
I agree. This ain't rocket science. Write the friggin bill stating that the budget is at the 2008 level, with no tax increase, and no new taxes or fees.
Cut the Dept. of Education from the budget. That will take care of it.
He absolutely must cut something significant in 2012 budget. Every easy top line item is a political landline. So, he needs to cut around the edges in hundreds of sub line items, if not thousands, in order to protect himself and the pubs politically. I think it is the wrong approach, but is an approach. Let's see how they do now.
$4 trillion.
I honestly don't know the right approach. I can see both arguments. On the one hand I'd like to just do the right thing and stand strong no matter what, unfortunately there is a terrible reality that the right thing doesn't necessarily win the day. A charismatic demagogue like Obama could win the PR war and be even more difficult to beat in 2012. FDR pushed failed program after failed program, deepened a terrible recession and yet won election after election. Being right just isn't enough most of the time.
What I do know is we've gotten this far by following the lead of the Tea Party patriots, by pushing the envelope, by shoving the debate further and further to the right. Those people, including many people on this website, are the folks that have gotten us this far. I am loathe to abandon them now for some watered down deal that may appear a PR victory but results in no real cuts in the out years and achieves little to nothing.
social security is not a tax, if you don't give folks their due share...then you have retroactively taxed them....you want that? really? I want them to cut all the unnecessary spending.......they have no constitutional right to tax us for abortions, healthcare, sex studies, embryonic stem cell research...you get the idea. The country can tax us to support the common good....build roads, bridges, form a military, conduct foreign affairs....cut the rest of it and the social security money will be there. we don't need all that liberal claptrap spending.
That's one of the very first leftist memes the right ever bought into.
True, but the spending cuts in this are basically nothing.
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