As of Monday early afternoon, House Republicans were officially undecided as to whether they’d take on entitlements when they write the budget this year. Fiscal-hawk extraordinaire Paul Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, danced around the issue in a meeting with reporters. After trashing Obama’s budget for its failure to include entitlement reform, Ryan refused to say whether he’d include it in his own. Little did he know that just as he was reluctantly deflecting the question, House majority leader Eric Cantor was dropping a bombshell in a pen-and-pad briefing with reporters elsewhere in the Capitol: Republicans, Cantor said, are all-in on entitlement reform.
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The fast-moving decision is yet another sign of how fundamentally the GOP freshmen have changed the calculus on Capitol Hill. House aides tell NRO that after an internal flare-up with freshmen Republicans over spending levels for the remainder of this fiscal year — where the leadership ultimately sided with the freshmen to push to cut $100 billion — GOP leaders wanted to get ahead of President Obama on the budget issue.
The intention to push on entitlements is also a vindication of the vision of Paul Ryan, the once-embattled voice in the wilderness whose determination to reform entitlements has now been embraced fully by his leadership and his fellow House Republicans. Sources say Ryan was “thrilled” when he heard about Cantor’s remarks.
For many GOP freshmen, the decision reflects an urgency to seriously address the national-debt crisis, and an effort to make good on promises to the voters who elected them. “This is about leadership,” says Rep. Allen West (R., Fla.), a vocal member of the freshman class. “If we don’t deal with entitlements, then we are not serious. I am glad to see our leadership stepping up to the plate. They’re not backing away from the 99-miles-an-hour fastball. This really is about courage.”
Freshman representative Scott Tipton (R., Colo.) tells NRO that his class was itching to take on entitlements. But the fervor for bold policy, he says, is relatively recent. Once freshmen settled into office, many of them took hard looks at the budget. In order to get ahead of the Democrats, both fiscally and politically, his class wants to be the one to frame the debate, he says.
This year’s freshman class did not campaign aggressively on entitlement reform. Many of them did, however, campaign on a fierce commitment to balancing the federal budget, meaning they would never support a Republican budget that looked anything like the one proposed by the White House, which, an aide tells NRO, meant entitlements would have to be addressed.
The decision to move forward on entitlement reform wasn’t a direct reaction to the recent “revolt” over the $100 billion in spending cuts, but that fight was certainly on everyone’s mind. “The hundred-billion issue was a good reminder that putting forward a budget that fails to balance, ever, and does nothing to address the central challenges, did not have a chance in hell,” says one House aide. Of the freshmen, he adds, “These guys are serious, they don’t mess around.”
A senior GOP House aide tells NRO that the leadership is willing to move now on entitlements because the “will is there” in the conference. “We have the 218 votes needed to support entitlement reform,” he tells us. “While raising it now provides an important contrast, to be sure, we would not be bringing it up if we did not have the votes. We know the conference will back it if it’s included in the budget. The leadership knows they have to lead and there is no one better than Paul Ryan to take charge. The sense in the conference is, ‘let’s be serious.’”
Someone much more famous than me once said "there is no better time than the present." As one who is not a professional or amateur politician, I don't really see what the downside is by throwing down the gauntlet right now. These folks have the backing of the TP, and I would think, a large number of independent voters as well. NOW, the big problem is going to be how the D's and the MSM spin this to high heaven. Cantor, Ryan and Boehner have to be out front every day explaining this at a 3rd grade level how it will help the Country, because the other side will no doubt be mentioning grandma eating dog food and draconian cuts and children dying. This will not be pretty if you have a weak stomach. Get your popcorn out!
If they are "serious" about entitlements, then why did they not play hardball today and stick a knife in Obamacare by pairing the defunding with a CR?
Until they do that, and cut more than 100 billion, they are not serious. What idiot on the House Rules Committee thinks the House rules are more important than the Constitution?
I am guardedly optimistic that we've finally got some GOP pols who are motivated to try to do what's right for the country rather than what seems best for their chances in the next election.
Agree Texan59, the GOP at the moment does have the backing of the right wing but this is incredibly risky considering that the GOP did not win the 2010 Elections on entitlement reform; some like Rand Paul did but it was mostly about out of control spending, the economy, and healthcare. I don't want another 1995 happening and Republicans losing the political debate in Congress to the President; the GOP should stick with its goals of reducing spending (which they have been doing) and defunding Obamacare. Let 2012 play out the way it will; someone like Chris Christie will speak the truth on the matters of the deficit, put it bluntly and talk straitforward, and win the support of the Tea Party and other Republicans that candidate will win the Primary. It's then up to the Independents to decide whether they're willing to sacrifice for their children and grandchildren, and in turn whether Obama is re-elected, because he apparently believes that adding another trillion to the debt is fiscally responsible, and if the majority of Americans think Obama's way is right, then so be it, and I'll move to another country that will be able to weather the economic collapse (that will dwarf the "Great Recession") that America will unleash if Congress does not balance the budget in the next 3-4 years.
Poor Ramesh Ponnuru. Those Tea Party crackpots really do not want to listen to him. After robustly ignoring for two years his advices to 'moderate', they now overcame themselves; only two weeks after he gave them a new strategic advice - to not touch on entitlements reform if they want to live - they are doing exactly that!
I know the GOP is trying to explain this as best they can. Maybe this is the time we can help them. In my state of WI the unions are running ads against Gov. Scott Walker because he is willing to take them on in order to balance the budget. I'm personally taking on the task of defending the Gov. with letters to the editor and any other way I can think of that is practical. If they are serious about doing something that badly needs to be done then we have to support them. Let's help our fellow Americans understand why this is needed and offer our support to a party that has more often than not let us down as long as they are willing to do what is right!
“This isn’t a schoolyard, this isn’t recess, this isn’t the Illinois Senate; this game of chicken is irresponsible.”
The voice of real adults is finally being heard in "the People's House".
We tea baggers can do a little bit of math. What we see isn't pretty.
This Congress has its tenure to frame the issues - money doesn't lie or take sides... it simply measures the results.
There is no time like the present to take the high road. There is no more urgent need than for this nation to set its financial house in order. There is no greater moral imperative than to do it honestly.
To the House majority -- you're in a fight. Chicago style. Hit hard. Hit often. Keep hitting. If you go down, kick 'em in the ankles. The voters who sent you are watching. And taking notes.
Caution: These comment are NOT politically correct. They ARE factually correct. I'm sick of hearing the moocher class talk about how much the government "owes them." They get free medical care, food stamps, help with rent and utilities, and still want more. I for one am sick of being in line at the gorcery store and seeing the moochers pay for their groceries with my tax dollars and then pay cash for their cases of beer and bottles wine. Take an injured family member to the emergency room and you can't get past the people there getting free care for a child with the sniffles that most of us would have taken to the doctor and paid for their treatment. Help the truly needy and get rid of the freeloaders who train their children how to "get what's coming to them from the government." Reform now.
"Fiscal-hawk extraordinaire? The sophomoric hyperbole that comes from various writers on this site is staggering at times.
I like Paul Ryan--a lot. However, make no mistake others are pushing him to slash & burn far more than he would do on his own.
In fact, after hearing Rep. Steve King on Levin's show tonight has me doubting house leadership as much as ever. They just don't have the guts to do what's right.
I am fairly certain that the GOP has about 30 days to frame this debate.If not, Obama will pour gas on this fire, watch it burn out and waltz to victory while holding the Senate.
The challenge has been set. Now we get to watch. The media will be against you. Charge, win or lose you have no other choice now.
When I read a few days ago that the debt had reached the level of our entire economy It took me down with a feeling of hopelessness, especially when the budget talk was 'lets just cut what we can get passed in the Senate'. And now that the house 'calvary' has found their will again I am encouraged. We 'Tea Party Patriots' are watching, praying, hoping -we have not thrown our signs away-we stand at the ready-our country is at a crossroads-don't fail us!
Social Security: let people voluntarily opt out of employee contribution (forfeiting everything paid in already) in exchange for only receiving a means tested, very minimum benefit, retirement safety net. (Basically what social security was originally designed to be.)
Medicare: Take 2006 Medicare expenditures divide by number of 2006 Medicare beneficiaries, divide by 12, send monthly to every person of Medicare age for purchase of private health insurance, that have only two restrictions 1) must issue to to anyone of medicare age, 2) must charge the same for everyone on the plan
Texan, you are so right about the other side comment. I can see the D's dragging it out now, mouths drooling: "They want to take your grandma's retirement savings and your son's lunch money and give their wealthy friends a big fat tax cut." Can't tell I've heard that before, can you? Everyone is spot-on here. Reform entitlements. Get serious about cutting. Nothing is free. We're a country that spends too much and we have to rein that in before anything else or we WILL pay for it down the line.
With 9% unemployment can it be that hard for NRO to get that junior editor position filled so we don't have to endure headlines such as "Her Come The Republicans"?
Come on guys and gals, somewhere WFB is not amused.
To parphrase a comment I read in the last couple days regarding entitlements - "just exactly what is anyone "entitled to". That is my food for thought.
This is very encouraging! PATea is right, and if this is for real, I will have a ton of respect for the Tea Party and those who rocketed Tea Party congressmen to power.
I also expect Democrats to cooperate. If they don't there will be hell to pay.
Congress, show us your truly serious aby fixing the obviously broken. Start with ethanol. Shut down the subsidies and mandates, and food prices stabilize immediately while billions come off the deficit. (not to mention Detroit gets a little closer to the ridiculous MPG mandates.)
