A group of ninety GOP House members have signed and sent a letter to House speaker John Boehner, asking him to ensure that $100 billion is cut in non-defense discretionary spending from the fiscal year 2011 budget when the House votes on the final budget.
“We believe the first step in restoring the trust of the American people and rebuilding the American economy is, simply, to do what we said we would do during the campaign. Our first opportunity to do so will be upon us shortly,” wrote the lawmakers, led by Rep. Scott Garrett (R., N.J.), who chairs the Budget and Spending Task Force for the Republican Study Committee
Currently, the budget is being funded by a continuing resolution that expires March 4. In the Pledge to America, House Republicans said they would “roll back government spending to pre-stimulus, prebailout levels, saving us at least $100 billion in the first year alone.”
But when that promise was made, the assumption was that fiscal year 2011 would have a set budget featuring increases requested by President Obama. The $100 billion number was arrived at by comparing 2008 spending levels with the 2011 spending levels requested by Obama. Since Congress failed to pass a budget, those new spending levels never materialized.
In addition, with the 2011 fiscal year set to end in September, shaving $100 billion in savings from the approximately seven months left in March will be particularly difficult.
“Despite the added challenge of being four months into the current fiscal year, we still must keep our $100 billion pledge to the American people,” the House members urged in the letter. “These $100 billion in cuts to non-defense discretionary spending not only ensure that we keep our word to the American people; they represent a credible down payment on the fiscally responsible measures that will be needed to get the nation’s finances back on track.”
If defense cuts aren't on the table, then the representatives aren't serious.
Why is it that so many self-professed conservatives insist that (a) the government is bloated, inefficient, and full of waste and partakes in inefficient and ineffective programs and (b) that the defense sector of the government is so well run that there's not a single dollar to be cut there?
I understand that conservatives have different opinions about the importance of national defense, but it boggles my mind that, in their heads, "strong national defense" means "refusal to scrutinize the defense budget at all, because it's perfect as is."
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseCut EVERYWHERE, including defense.
Regardless of the budget semantics explained in Katrina's article, if this bunch can't eliminate $100 billion in spending then they are just more of the same old same old.
How interesting would it be to see how much money could be saved if an across the board incentive program was implemented to cut spending? My guess is the total would be staggering.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWilliam,
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYou are wrong in your assertion that they are "conservatives." They are in fact RINO's, i.e.
Repubs in name only. Of COURSE we need to cut defense.
Do you know who wants to cut defense the most? Ron Paul libertarians, thats who. We want to bring him ALL of our military from the entire world. We can't afford it, anymore. We are bankrupt, thanks to you and your dems and their buddies the RINOs. You know what the loss of Pax Americana means, I hope? It means you better fasten your seatbelt, just like when the Roman empire fell and the hordes went wild. Sound like your idea of fun? Well, thanks a lot for spending us into slavery.
It would only be difficult to cut $100 billion if you really aren't paying attention.
Besides, that's why these clowns get paid the big bucks - to make the hard choices. That's what being leaders is supposed to be all about. IF they can't do their job, then why did they run and why in heck did anyone vote for them. The Republicans have one shot at this and they can't mess around.
Cut the budget by at least $100 billion - no excuses. There is enough junk on YouCut that they could make this benchmark with no problem.
Most of these clowns need to swallow their greed and cravenness and DO THE RIGHT THING!
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@William, it's not that the defense budget is perfect as is or particularly well run, the reason DC can't cut - even when the Pentagon begs them to - is that it is the gravy train from the reps to their state, usually via defense contractors. Plus bases equal good jobs and steady revenue in their district.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Why is it that so many self-professed conservatives insist that...the defense sector of the government is so well run that there's not a single dollar to be cut there?"
I don't think anyone is saying that. I think allot of conservatives defend the DoD because it is one of the few legitimate purposes of the Federal Government. A strong defense truly does benefit everybody by avoiding conflict through strength. Would another WWII be worth the cuts in defense? Would you raise your hand and volunteer? Would you send your daughters or sons?
I believe the military can be cut. Rumsfeld tried to reign in the establishment and was hated and booted.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLet's start with the National Guard. Every state has a 2 star General and a support staff. That means we have 50 extra Generals, and the bureaucracy that goes along with them, that really provides very little value to the tax payer. We could eliminate them and not see any degradation in our defense capability.
It has little to do with the thought that there is not waste in the DOD budget. There is, including the recent revelation on GE's muscling in on the fighter engine contract. There is enough stuff DOD is forced to do by congress to bring home the bacon for each state that could be cut - indeed.
But in reality, the DOD needs a budget increase, we have a hot war in Afghanistan and a cold war of sorts with Islamic terrorists. A crazy country in North Korea, a soon to be nuclear Iran, a revitalized despotic Russia, and the Chinese who believe in killing their competitors. We should be building 2 or 3 new carrier groups and parking them permanently around China just to tick them off. Instead we are shrinking our naval capabilities just as England did before us. Do you believe China will keep the sea lanes open for our benefit? You know the answer.
We are currently engaged in a re-settling of the world order since the collapse of the US - Soviet cold war. But the march of the dictators didn't stop with the Soviet's demise. It still exists, it still hates us for what we are and what we represent, no matter how flawed we are in practice. Our recent power transfer in the House is terrifying to them, not because it went from Dem to GOP, but because we willingly had one faction surrender power to a different one.
I appreciate wanting to settle into our own borders and bring our boys home. But whenever we have done that with the storm clouds that are gathering lots of people, including US people, died. I agree we don't need bases in Germany so much anymore - we need them in Poland and in the Czech Republic.
We need to get our domestic house in order, make the investments necessary in defense so no one will want to shoot at us, and strengthen our commitments to our friends who are willing to stand with us and really try to bring peace on earth.
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