Posted on 03/29/2015 8:45:13 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
Last week, the GOP-led Congress passed a budget resolution which, Republicans claim, will balance the budget in 10 years. The resolution is a policy document, intended to guide the appropriations process, and doesn’t itself have the force of law.
More important than the details of the budget document, the action sets up the GOP to finally match its action to its rhetoric and undo the worst aspects of Obama’s fiscal policies.
Over the next two weeks, while Congress is in recess, the House and Senate will begin to hammer out small differences between the budget resolutions that passed each chamber. Leaders in both chambers have vowed to meet the April 15th deadline to produce a final budget resolution.
The final product of House and Senate negotiations on a budget resolution matters less than the process by which any deal will be enacted. Congress, particularly the Senate, can use “reconciliation” to make policy changes that involve the final budget agreement. Reconciliation limits the amount of debate in the Senate on the final resolution and, most importantly, operates outside the filibuster process, so it requires only a simply majority of 51 votes for passage.
Reconciliation was used in the 1990s when Bill Clinton was in the White House and Republicans controlled Congress to produce the last real balanced budget. It was used to pass the Bush tax cuts early in his presidency. It was also used to enact ObamaCare.
Keep these examples in mind, because if the GOP finally uses its power to repeal ObamaCare under reconciliation, the media will no doubt scream about the “unprecedented” nature of the congressional actions.
With reconciliation, the GOP now has the very tool it campaigned for during these past 5 years. It could repeal ObamaCare, enact long-overdue tax reform and give citizens real choices...
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Bttt
Will cross the fingers, but NOT hold the breath.
holding breath for 10 years is difficult
The GOP is complicit and plays the kabuki game to string along just enough conservatives for the next election cycle. Everyone in Washington pretty much thinks the same way -bug expansive government- they just disagree on how to achieve it to fool the American people
GOPe has always had the tool, they just to cowardly to use it.
James Madison (37 at the time), wrote, “This power over the purse may, in fact, be regarded as the most complete and effectual weapon with which any constitution can arm the immediate representatives of the people, for obtaining a redress of every grievance, and for carrying into effect every just and salutary measure” (Federalist 58).
To bug expansive government. Sounds like a good idea.
Really SVCW it’s “they are”
What they ultimately pass will be vetoed, so as with any such passage, will the Republicans stand firm on the follow up?
All that is really needed is a simple majority. The rest is theater. Democrats passed much with the simplest of majorities.
Architecturally, the Senate stripped a House bill of all words, inserted Zerocare, sent it back, they passed it and here we are. Literally a magic trick at midnight at Christmas.
The fix is always in with the democrats.
I dunno, Ebonics is the new-speak these days.
Republicans are afraid to be outrageous. With Cruz, this should come to an end.
Nothing worthwhile will be accomplished until “Republicans” are eradicated from the face of the Earth, and replaced by “Conservatives” starting with President Cruz.
“With reconciliation, the GOP now has the very tool it campaigned for during these past 5 years. It could repeal ObamaCare, enact long-overdue tax reform and give citizens real choices...”
Bwwwwwwaaaahhaaahhhaaa, the liberal GOP undo fascism? The same GOP that protested too much that they didn’t want amnesty, then meekly turned around and voted to fund it? Oh, right, I expect that bunch of traitors to have strong courageous principles. A Slug has more backbone.
Republicans want too much to be everybody’s friend, and thus they end up being everybody’s enemy.
Democrats are not afraid to be outrageous. Republicans should be outrageous too.
Spines? Balls? Brains? Morals?
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.